September
11, 2001 is a date that few of us will forget. The horrendous events
of that day made clear the very things in our lives that are precious
and truly important. From our new perspective hopefully we can better
appreciate the power of faith, positive emotion and the human spirit.
Living
in Tribeca in Lower Manhattan and witnessing firsthand the terrible
events when the World Trade Center went down made me realize how dangerous
pessimism, fear and hatred are. At first I worried for my family,
my friends my neighbors, and for the works of art that I created in
my lifetime, and seemed so vulnerable in my studio. While much of
the lower West Side of Manhattan was burning, ten blocks below, I
contemplated the cries to evacuate the neighborhood.
My
family and I left briefly, but we returned an hour later prepared
to fight fires and to stand our ground. The realization that the power,
beauty and tenderness of works of art, at that moment seemed unimportant
to me, scared me and also woke me up. As an artist the faith required
to make visible the invisible and to express the inexpressible prepares
you to accept the unacceptable and embrace the unknown. My family,
students and friends have helped me realize once again the value and
importance of the appreciation and the creation of works of art.
These paintings of mine are my music and my poetry and my theatre,
these are the works of my lifetime that are also my response to a
world of pessimism and doom. If my paintings seem to be optimistic,
spiritual and express the inner core of the human soul it is to that
intention that they are meant. I would become unnecessary and unimportant
as an artist if I ever forget the power and the fragility and the
beauty of the human spirit.
Abstraction
may be hard for some to understand but it is important to remember
that abstraction is a language. While it may be easier to comprehend
imagery, conceptual art, pop icons, and other more conventional works
the language of color, space and form is universal and aims at all
of mankind. These works of mine emanate from a time that predate the
events of 9/11. However hopefully they speak to you and to me in a
way that can heal the soul and that transcends the pain of those terrible
events.
September
15, 2001
Ronnie
Landfield
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E-MAIL
webmaster Ron Davis if you wish to add to the dialog surrounding the
events of September 11, 2001. I will be pleased to post it:
ronhondo@newmex.com
Ronnie
Landfield
September, 2001
77 x 46 inches
Acrylic on Canvas
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