WASHINGTON _ The House Office Building Commission has supported a decision by the Architect of the Capitol to take down a controversial painting that depicted police as animals.
The painting by student David Pulphus was inspired by the police shooting in Ferguson, Mo. It was part of the annual Capitol high school art competition.
"This is now a closed matter," a spokesperson in Speaker Paul D. Ryan's office said in a statement on Friday following the commission's vote.
The Architect of the Capitol decided to take the painting down on Jan. 13, shortly after Ryan called for it to be removed.
The Architect of the Capitol relied on a policy put in place in 2007, when Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was speaker.
It reads: "Artwork must adhere to the policy of the House Office Building Commission. In accordance with this policy, exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed."
Following the Jan. 13 decision, Pelosi requested that the House Office Building Commission hold a vote. Ryan, Pelosi and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy serve on the commission.
The painting was taken down by four Republican members of Congress three times over a single week. Each time, it ended up in the office of its sponsor, Missouri Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay, whose district includes Ferguson.
Clay has consistently defended Pulphus, who was a high school student in Clay's district when he submitted his work to the contest. He is now attending college in Chicago.
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