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New York, 9-11-01, 2001

Peter Turnley

Artwork Details

New York, 9-11-01, 2001
2001
Peter Turnley
archival pigment print on paper
20 in x 24 in (50.8 cm x 60.96 cm);13 ¼ in x 20 in (33.66 cm x 50.8 cm)
Gift of David and Jennifer Kieselstein
2016/2.504

Description

Subject Matter:

In this photograph, Peter Turnley represents first responders searching for survivors amid the still-smoking wreckage of the World Trade Center. Turnley produced this image likely hours following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which resulted in the complete destruction of the WTC's twin towers. The attacks were devastating and traumatic to the people who experienced it, and the political fallout was far reaching. In this photograph, the rich golds as well as deep reds and blues of the fire and smoke saturate the image, pointing directly to the devastation which has just occurred and giving the scene an ethereal quality. Though this image purports to document a tragic event as it unfolds, one cannot but note the photograph's almost sublime aesthetic effects. 
 

Physical Description:

An image of four firemen, each facing away from the viewer and walking among a huge mound of metallic rubble. Smoke and an orange-red glow washes the background.

Usage Rights:

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