Empire State Series #2 oil on panel 36x8
In the winter of 1999, Sonya Sklaroff had the opportunity to paint on the 91st floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center for five months. This grant, entitled "The World Views Project", was given generously by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
For Sonya Sklaroff, the World Trade Center presented a new and engaging view of her favorite subject: New York City. The Olympian height of the view was emphasized by the tall, narrow windows of the towers, and Sklaroff incorporated this aspect directly into the shape of the paintings. Her use of black and white juxtaposes the complexity and dynamism of the bustling city with the tranquility of the aerie from which she observes. The vastness and grandeur of the city can be captured only from a point of view that reduces the elements of the city's infrastructure from monolithic edifices to mere urban tiles of a metropolitan mosaic. When placed side by side, the paintings evoke the emotional response of once again being high within the lost towers of downtown Manhattan. The result is an intense and graceful portrayal of the vibrancy forever pulsing through the heart of New York City.
Please see the 2004 published book, Site Matters: The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's World Trade Center Artists Residency, 1997-2001, to read more about this experience.
