"ATROCITY 911"

As Liberty cries for her children she holds the Lamp of freedom high.
Her Book of Law has been stabbed... it bleeds.
As the souls of the dead rise from the inferno of the collapsed Towers
Angels fly in to escort all to heaven.


by Marc Rubin

7 feet high by 14 feet wide, polymer on canvas; Expressionism
Drawings were created on 9/11/2001 the painting was completed December 2007


On 9/11/2001 I awakened to a beautiful morning and all seemed right with the world until I turned on the morning news. I had spoken with Sharon Carr, a friend since childhood, only two nights earlier. She has been living in her Manhattan loft since the 1980's and had been severely frightened by the first attack on the World Trade Center which is steps away from her building. I thought she'd be fine especially in light of the fact that her husband worked very close to home and was a fireman earlier in his life. When the second plane hit the north tower I freaked and phoned her just make sure she was OK but she wasn't! David Carr was in London, England on business and had their satellite cell phone, Sharon was working at home with her daughter 10 blocks away in the West Village and her son at his highschool in Brooklyn. Her neighborhood was already locked down and the TV cable was off. Moments later the phone went off along with electricity. We stayed together through email as I tried my best to hold her hand from 1000 miles away. She was finally able to get out her building and made it up to her Mom and Dad's condo on the upper east side with her kids and called me to let me know she was alright. It was during that call that Sharon told me in a saddened and quiet voice that she had witnessed people jumping from windows and more. The collapse of the structures had clearly put her into a state of shock. She experienced the sounds and smell and filth that had squeezed through the frames of her windows. She told me all and asked me to make a painting. She said, "You have to paint this atrocity so no one will forget it."

The painting was finished for a private unveiling on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7th, 2007. It contains symbols which depict the event. Liberty tells the human story as she is the personified mother of America and it's virtues of Liberty and Freedom. Her book which has the words "The Law" on its cover represents our law. The scimitar (sword) is an Arabian scimitar with the symbol of Islam depicted in the dark green color as it is used by jihadists. The explosion and wreckage depicts horror. Bluegrey hands symbolize the victims. Angels come to help the dead ascend to heaven. And finally, Liberty's lamp, which is still held high, represents the indestructible power of freedom and liberty.





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