Let’s be real: It smells like political-dump-farts everywhere. And lately I am hearing voices in my head who harken back to my high school social studies class and the kindhearted dude who taught it. He was a jovial type who occasionally jumped atop his sturdy wood desk to make a dramatic statement about politics in the USA. His method was effective and unforgettable: “Listen up!” was his point. The voices persist as I recall his entertaining antics: What are the history lessons bound to be repeated? What would my once-WWII-Nazi-fighting-now-stardust grandfather have to say about those who support hatred? What was the homework assignment? WTF is happening to democracy?

The Israeli artist Yigal Ozeri’s solo show “The Truth of a Portrait” at Ethan Cohen Gallery at KuBe Art Center in Beacon provides a powerful response: capability! And culpability. We believe in those who demonstrate their capacity to steer with care. Featuring large-scale photorealist paintings that tower across the space and drawings of elected officials and individuals who have spent their lives fighting for our freedoms and civil rights, this show is an outstanding celebration of champion humans, minus the image of a doomy Donald Trump (2020) from behind.

The in-your-face line-up includes undisputable heavyweights: Martin Luther King (2020), John Lewis (2020), Barack Obama (2020), and the lovely Michelle Obama (2020) looking in his direction, her face equally tense and tender. Ozeri’s portraits are intensely proud and pure: Kamala Harris (2024) and her beaming smile, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2020) and her inquiring gaze, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (2020) and her deliberate grin. The works are blunt: James Baldwin (2020) stares at us incredulously while Pope Francis (2020) apprehensively holds his head in his hand and Bernie Sanders (2020) looks on with a chuckle. The combined power of these renowned figures—with the mighty George Floyd (2020) portrait as the emotional anchor for the entire room—is utterly remarkable (and Ozeri’s painterly photorealist talent is astonishing). Amid the palpable elation produced by these portraits, Floyd’s eyes are fiercely gentle as they rip through your soul. What more can be said here?

Alas, the deplorable issues persist: the ills of global oppression, racism, sexism, and environmental horrors pile up and run berserk. Never mind, Ozeri won’t have it. With his pre-Raphaelite-meets-Chuck Close style and unwavering command of paint, his works are stunning embodiments that lift us higher. Every face in the room echoes the sentiment: “Listen up and do your part, too!’ Damn that stench, and the horrors that face American history. Let us praise those—artists and politicians alike—who remain devoted to the core value of this great nation: Liberty and justice for all!