The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001
Artist
Graydon Parrish
(b. 1970)
Date2002-2006
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions77 x 210 in.
ClassificationsOil Painting
Credit LineCharles F. Smith Fund and in memory of Scott O'Brien who died in the World Trade Center, given by his family
Object number2006.116
DescriptionAfter the World Trade Towers were bombed in 2001, the Museum's director, Douglas Hyland, visited Parrish and asked him to submit a proposal to commemorate the tragedy. His initial concept was approved in 2002 by the Acquisition and Loan Committee and subsequently by the Board of Trustees. The artist worked on the commission from 2002 to July 2006. He painstakingly drew numerous drawings and labored to make this painting as perfect as possible.Artist Statement:
Since the Terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the country has moved from inconsolable grief, resolute feelings of optimism, and renewed patriotism toward confusion, indifference, and, for some, an unexpected apathy. My conception of this painting has likewise evolved from an image of writhing, suffering figures to one which attempts to embody less tenable emotions. I have most clearly developed the two central twin figures of Tragedy and Terror. Both are blinded by Fate and scream at heaven in despair. As they stumble forward on the balls of their feet, muscles tensed, their outstretched arms connect the image of crucified martyrs with the personification of crashing airplanes. Above all, I believe the burning towers themselves proffer the clearest visual symbol of a time of turmoil; and each concomitant figure-Greed and Innocence, Despair and Regret, for example-will amplify this message.
I envision the setting as a desolate landscape crossed by shallow rivers. On the horizon, clouds and billowing smoke obscure a city skyline. A great mass of papers and debris, flowers and votive candles weave between the figures in the foreground. Each element, foreground and background, resonates with symbolism: the passage of time, the loss of love, and the brevity and frailty of life.
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