Mural
Photo credit: Jon Crispin
Accession Number: C.2019.139.425
Dimensions: 8 ft X 16 ft
Dimensions (Metric): 20.32 cm X 40.64 cm
Dimensions (Metric): 20.32 cm X 40.64 cm
Source: The New York Historical (NYH)
Credit Line: Transferred from the New-York Historical Society
amernica
Description
Mural painted on four boards titled amernica and created in response to the attacks on America on September 11, 2001 by students at Sand Creek High School in Colorado Springs. The mural is painted in black, white, and gray, and the letters "USA" are visible within the imagery. This mural and title were inspired by Guernica, the 1937 painting by Pablo Picasso based on the German bombing of Guernica, a city in Spain.
Panel 1 of the mural depicts imagery of a sun in the top left corner and two hands reaching out to one another in the lower left corner. In the center is a dual face with half wearing a police hat and the other half wearing a fire helmet. On the right side of the panel is a portion of the letter "U" resembling a tower, with a hole at the top and smoke rising out of it. A grappler claw, a hand holding a candle, a portion of a face, and a building facade are also depicted.
Panel 2 of the mural depicts imagery of a bald eagle's head in the center, a distorted airplane in a tailspin at the top, the flaming torch of the Statue of Liberty in the upper right corner, and the right portion of the letter "U" with an upturned head of a figure wearing a fire helmet on the center left.
Panel 3 of the mural depicts imagery of the Statue of Liberty’s weeping face on the left. It also includes a dog tag at the top, two figureless hands holding walkie-talkies on the right, and a hand holding a flaming candle at the bottom. The letters "S" and "A" are represented in the abstract background.
Panel 4 of the mural depicts imagery of an abstract rendering of the iconic "Raising the Flag at Ground Zero" photograph by Thomas Franklin in the center. A white dove with an olive branch sits at the top along with a crescent moon and stars. A hand holding a flaming candle is on the right, and two clasped hands are at the bottom.
On the back each panel is a numbered key for describing the various visual elements.
Mural painted on four boards titled amernica and created in response to the attacks on America on September 11, 2001 by students at Sand Creek High School in Colorado Springs. The mural is painted in black, white, and gray, and the letters "USA" are visible within the imagery. This mural and title were inspired by Guernica, the 1937 painting by Pablo Picasso based on the German bombing of Guernica, a city in Spain.
Panel 1 of the mural depicts imagery of a sun in the top left corner and two hands reaching out to one another in the lower left corner. In the center is a dual face with half wearing a police hat and the other half wearing a fire helmet. On the right side of the panel is a portion of the letter "U" resembling a tower, with a hole at the top and smoke rising out of it. A grappler claw, a hand holding a candle, a portion of a face, and a building facade are also depicted.
Panel 2 of the mural depicts imagery of a bald eagle's head in the center, a distorted airplane in a tailspin at the top, the flaming torch of the Statue of Liberty in the upper right corner, and the right portion of the letter "U" with an upturned head of a figure wearing a fire helmet on the center left.
Panel 3 of the mural depicts imagery of the Statue of Liberty’s weeping face on the left. It also includes a dog tag at the top, two figureless hands holding walkie-talkies on the right, and a hand holding a flaming candle at the bottom. The letters "S" and "A" are represented in the abstract background.
Panel 4 of the mural depicts imagery of an abstract rendering of the iconic "Raising the Flag at Ground Zero" photograph by Thomas Franklin in the center. A white dove with an olive branch sits at the top along with a crescent moon and stars. A hand holding a flaming candle is on the right, and two clasped hands are at the bottom.
On the back each panel is a numbered key for describing the various visual elements.
Historical Notes
This mural is inspired by Guernica (1937), Pablo Picasso’s painting. Picasso’s work commemorated a devastating bombing during the Spanish Civil War, and students at Sand Creek Hill High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, applied his aesthetic to the devastation caused by the 9/11 attacks. The students enlisted painting help from their community, and ultimately 2,000 people participated. In the spring of 2002, the finished piece was displayed for several months at St. Paul’s Chapel near Ground Zero.
This mural is inspired by Guernica (1937), Pablo Picasso’s painting. Picasso’s work commemorated a devastating bombing during the Spanish Civil War, and students at Sand Creek Hill High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, applied his aesthetic to the devastation caused by the 9/11 attacks. The students enlisted painting help from their community, and ultimately 2,000 people participated. In the spring of 2002, the finished piece was displayed for several months at St. Paul’s Chapel near Ground Zero.
