Painting
Stars of the Forest: Elegy for 9/11
- Description
- Acrylic-on-canvas painting titled Stars of the Forest: Elegy for 9/11 by Naoto Nakagawa. The painting depicts star-shaped moss on a forest floor in vibrant colors of blue, yellow, orange, and red. The piece is evocative of the American flag.
- Historical Notes
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Many artists saw their work transform in the wake of 9/11. For Naoto Nakagawa, his piece Stars of the Forest—started in early September—began as an observation of star-shaped moss on a forest floor reflected in the Hudson River. In an interview, he stated that the moss was "shining in the morning dew, the sunlight glinting and giving it vivid colors, like blue nesting in yellow, orange, and flaming red."
After 9/11, Nakagawa realized that his vision for the painting had been changed by the tragedy. On the canvas, he saw that the star-shaped moss arranged in horizontal bands of color now evoked the American flag. Rather than sunlight, the light permeating the surface now represented those who had been killed on 9/11, expressed as shining stars.
Curator's Comment
Naoto Nakagawa was born in Kobe, Japan in 1944 and knew from the age of 10 that he wanted to be an artist. He spent much of his teenage years painting and studying art and was admitted to the Naniwa Art School in Osaka. At the same time, he was fascinated by New York City and its burgeoning art scene. He left school and immigrated to the United States.
Nakagawa settled in New York City and has lived and worked in various parts of lower Manhattan since his arrival. His first loft studio was on Warren Street, but he soon relocated to 123 Chambers Street. From its south-facing windows, he watched the Twin Towers being built.
Almost 40 years later, on the morning of September 11, 2001, Nakagawa was mixing paints in his studio on Franklin Street when he felt the building shake. He thought it was an earthquake until his wife called and told him a plane had struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Thinking the crash was an accident, he ran up to the roof to see what had happened. There, he witnessed the second plane hit the South Tower.
At the urging of his family, Nakagawa fled and stayed out of his studio for the next two weeks. When he returned, he resumed work on Stars of the Forest, renaming it, Stars of the Forest: Elegy for 9/11.
Nakagawa settled in New York City and has lived and worked in various parts of lower Manhattan since his arrival. His first loft studio was on Warren Street, but he soon relocated to 123 Chambers Street. From its south-facing windows, he watched the Twin Towers being built.
Almost 40 years later, on the morning of September 11, 2001, Nakagawa was mixing paints in his studio on Franklin Street when he felt the building shake. He thought it was an earthquake until his wife called and told him a plane had struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Thinking the crash was an accident, he ran up to the roof to see what had happened. There, he witnessed the second plane hit the South Tower.
At the urging of his family, Nakagawa fled and stayed out of his studio for the next two weeks. When he returned, he resumed work on Stars of the Forest, renaming it, Stars of the Forest: Elegy for 9/11.
- Accession Number: C.2019.129.1
- Dimensions: 76 in X 108 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 193.04 cm X 274.32 cm
- Source: Alan Ginsberg
- Credit Line: Gift of Alan, Mikenzie, Candice and Dean Ginsberg in memory of those lives lost on 9/11
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