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

Ronnie Landfield
September, 2001
77 x 46 inches
Acrylic on Canvas