Comments on: Gerhard Richter’s and Robert Storr’s “September” http://www.theasc.com/blog/2010/02/01/gerhard-richter%e2%80%99s-and-robert-storr%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cseptember%e2%80%9d/ John Bailey's thoughts on cinematography and artistic expression Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:12:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Matt Moriarty http://www.theasc.com/blog/2010/02/01/gerhard-richter%e2%80%99s-and-robert-storr%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cseptember%e2%80%9d/#comment-119 Matt Moriarty Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:07:29 +0000 http://www.ascmag.com/blog/?p=843#comment-119 When I first saw the painting, I recall the Twin Towers revelation being almost instantaneous. In fact, I don't find much abstraction in the piece at all. The tones and the shapes and the photo-realistic "three-quarter-backlight" treatment of the towers seem, to me, quite literal. I can't imagine how anyone who was alive that day could see anything else, really. I do wonder, however, if Richter mirror-flipped the source photo, since my memory is that the smoke billowed off to the east, where the sun was. Perhaps the source photo was taken from somewhere uptown. From where I have no idea, since an uptown vantage point would seem to have put the towers in nearly direct front light in the month of September. He's certainly entitled to flip the image if it means something to him. It's just that for some reason, all my memories of the tower collapse involve a southerly vantage point, with both the sun and the smoke billowing off to the right -- to the East. Perhaps it's the fact that I watched it happen live. It certainly doesn't feel as though a decade has passed. When I first saw the painting, I recall the Twin Towers revelation being almost instantaneous. In fact, I don’t find much abstraction in the piece at all. The tones and the shapes and the photo-realistic “three-quarter-backlight” treatment of the towers seem, to me, quite literal. I can’t imagine how anyone who was alive that day could see anything else, really.

I do wonder, however, if Richter mirror-flipped the source photo, since my memory is that the smoke billowed off to the east, where the sun was. Perhaps the source photo was taken from somewhere uptown. From where I have no idea, since an uptown vantage point would seem to have put the towers in nearly direct front light in the month of September. He’s certainly entitled to flip the image if it means something to him. It’s just that for some reason, all my memories of the tower collapse involve a southerly vantage point, with both the sun and the smoke billowing off to the right — to the East. Perhaps it’s the fact that I watched it happen live.

It certainly doesn’t feel as though a decade has passed.

]]> By: Richard Walden http://www.theasc.com/blog/2010/02/01/gerhard-richter%e2%80%99s-and-robert-storr%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cseptember%e2%80%9d/#comment-118 Richard Walden Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:54:00 +0000 http://www.ascmag.com/blog/?p=843#comment-118 I often fail to get any sense of emotion from abstract paintings but September is an exception. Although it took me quite some time to see the twin towers rather than the vague architectural image on first viewing. For me it’s as powerful as the images from the “What We Saw” video. I often fail to get any sense of emotion from abstract paintings but September is an exception. Although it took me quite some time to see the twin towers rather than the vague architectural image on first viewing. For me it’s as powerful as the images from the “What We Saw” video.

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