World Trade Center Memorial is a painting by Art West which was uploaded on September 11th, 2014.
Original - Sold
Price
Not Specified
Dimensions
30.000 x 40.000 x 1.500 inches
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Title
World Trade Center Memorial
Artist
Art West
Medium
Painting - Oil On Canvas
Description
ABOUT THIS PAINTING
Originally Titled: "Utopia Broken" or "Reflections", oils
by Art James West, a.k.a Alan Heuer
World Trade Center Memorial
In an article in The Taos News dated September 26th, 2002, Rick Romancito refers to my work "Reflections" or "Utopia Broken" as oddly titled. Aptly titled would have been more appropriate. Although representational, the painting undeniably contains an element of surrealistic intent unlike yet somewhat reminiscent of the great Italian surrealist Salvidor Dali who often used evocative, descriptive titles such as, "Metamorphosis of Narcissus" or "The Persistence of Memory".
First of all, the demise of the twin towers was just that, two towers. Hence two names. Although I sometimes do this anyway as in "Taos Rainbow" or "Traveler's Gold (also at the Taos Open), precisely because some pieces grow to "reflect" more than one idea.
Secondly, the New York Harbor does NOT reflect the buildings that surround it, at least not as a mirror image; the waters of the Hudson move too fast for such a reflection to occur. As such, the buildings surrealistically reflect the moment everything stopped for us, collectively and personally. Also, on Sept. 11 and out of nowhere the terrorists stopped our world and turned it upside down. In my painting, the flag reflects in the still water out of nowhere and upside down.
And finally, for me at least, New York City represents something utopic, a place where you can realize your dreams (and once upon a time I did). For many it is the stepping off point to America, to freedom and ample opportunity. It represents safety from tyranny and oppression. The terrorists left a hole where mighty towers once stood (represented in the painting by the black holes where the towers once stood). Not only that, they momentarily shattered our collective utopic fantasy, a fantasy embodied by New York City, America and the World Trade Center. It's broken. But Utopia, even if it's momentarily broken, will endure even without the towers as long as we believe in it (represented figuratively in the painting by the real towers).
Okay, so what about the cross? Well, for me at least, the cross represents something spiritual. It doesn't have to be Christian per say. It's just that the cross is universally recognized as representing something greater than ourselves and in spite of such acts of incredible hatred it represents our (at least for some) universal hope for something greater and better than ourselves, something utopic.
As such, the title "Reflections" or "Utopia Broken" does not oddly represent, but rather aptly represents, at least in a small way, some of the intent behind this visual realization of the horrific event we now know as September 11.
Uploaded
September 11th, 2014
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