Figure 1: A photo of The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001 by Graydon Parrish

Gary Wilson
Jerry Nevins
Museum Experience
April 27, 2011
The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy
Graydon Parrish was born April 3, 1970 in phoenix Arizona. His parent were collectors of nineteen century American and European artwork. Parrish was exposed to art at an early age and became fascinated by European and American painting. He was strongly influenced by his parents to pursue a career in art and develop an academic fugitive style of his own . In 1988, Parrish graduated from Booker T. Washington High School Of Performing Art. After graduation, Parrish wanted to venture towards classical Art but he was shied away secondary to limited choices of schools that thought classical art. After a lengthy search, he decided to attend New York Art Academy; there he met Jacob Collins and Michael Aviano who are known leading figure of classical and muralist art. Parrish when on to attend Arnherst College;There he earned a second Bachelor Degree majoring in independent study. After completion of his second degree, parrish produced major works such as, The Female head Study, Standing Female Nude, Sean , and The Cycle Of Terror and Tragedy. Parrish is currently an instructor at Grand Central Academy and continues to produce major artwork to the public and museums.
September 11 attack on the twin towers in New York shocked the world with horrific images and the inhumanity of the attackers. The artist Graydon Parrish responded to the attack with a painting, The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001, which is an allegory about the subject. The painting was commissioned by the New Britain Museum of American Art as a commemorative piece about the terror attack. This follows a tradition that dates from the Renaissance whereby subjects are tackled using images that’s rich in symbolism. The painting has been compared to Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, which is an allegory about bombing during a war (Genocchio). However, unlike Guernica, which was in the Cubist style, The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy was painted in classical academic Realist style. The artist’s mastery of the style comes from a dedication to studying 19th century academic drawing and he has even spent some years as an art historical researcher of the period (Sandstead; Lane).
The painting has drawn comparisons to Jacques-Louis David’s painting Oath of the Horatii due to its symbolist laden images (Cooper). It has eleven figures that represent different things that are related to the September 11 attack. The title of the painting contains the term “cycle”, and it is possible to identify a circular relationship between the figures in the painting. Both ends of the painting have blindfolded children thereby suggesting continuation from one end to the other (New Britain Museum of American Art [NBMAA]). On the left, three blindfolded children hold giant airplane toys. The blindfolded children are supposed to represent innocence. They hold giant toy airplanes, an allusion to the planes that were used as missiles in the attack. However, the artist has specified that they are toys and not weapons. This further enhances the imagery of innocence since the children are not aware of what happened during the attack (NBMAA).

As one moves to the right, there a dying man is on the ground. The man is seen to be screaming in agony. He is representative of the thousands who died in the attack. He is centrally placed in the painting, perhaps as a reminder that the painting is commemorative of those who died and hence the placement. Additionally, the man is placed at the feet of the two youths, who obviously represent the twin towers, as a reminder of where people died. In the middle of the painting, are the two screaming blindfolded youths. The two are standing as they look skywards and they are nude besides loincloths that are tied around their waists. The way in which the two stand shows that they are representations of the twin towers. They have blindfolds on as a continuation of the theme of innocence. Their nudity, along with that of other figures in the painting, is a possible reference to the fragility of human life.
To the youth’s right, there are three nude women kneeling besides them and they seem to be mourning. The women have no blindfolds on their eyes. The fact that the women are three could mean that they are the Fates from ancient Greek mythology (NBMAA). As such, they have no need for blindfolds since they are all seeing and all knowing. They also symbolize those who mourned, and still mourn, the death of loved ones in the attack. Further to the right, an old man is lying on wreaths of flowers. The man wears bandages and he symbolizes the people who survived the attack. The man is not wearing any blindfolds, thereby showing that his innocence has been lost.
The old man lies down as a reaction to the burden of his knowledge and wounds. In his hands, he holds the blindfolds of a child who is on the extreme right. The last figure in the painting is the girl who is seated on the extreme right. Her blindfold is being put on by the old man as indication of shielding from the terrible knowledge he has. This may be an indication of return to innocence and hence it is the end of a cycle as is identified in the painting’s title. The cycle shows that people are likely to forget what happened during the attack; however, on the date of the attack, awareness of what happened is likely to increase. The cycle could also represent the possibility of conflicts in the future with peaceful durations in their midst.
The painting’s background is a cityscape that is clearly a reference to New York. The sky is filled with dark smoke thereby enhancing the bleak subject of the painting; this is a reference to the results of the attack. The figures in the painting are on a small island that is representative of the island of Manhattan. The small island is a possible allusion to apocalyptic events such as floods (NBMAA). The island is strewn with papers, furthering the allusion of an apocalyptic event by depicting the ruins after the event. Some of the papers contain writings from the Constitution. The Constitution is a powerful symbol of liberty and affirmation of the importance of human life. Therefore, its being torn to shreds is indicative of what has happened during the attack; human life was devalued in the act. There are also flowers on the ground; these are an indication of mourning and remembrance of those who died in the attack.
Parrish’s painting, The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001, shows that he has a great facility for the realistic depiction of subjects. This reflects his interest in the traditions of 19th century art and beyond. The painting is not just a technical achievement in painting, it is also has many academic merits as well. The painting contains many allusions, both to art from earlier periods as well as the contemporary issues it is addressing. It is a good example of the potential of images to contain a multitude of ideas. As such, the artist succeeds in producing an appropriate commemorative piece to the September 11 attack and an artwork that is visually and intellectually stimulating.
Works Cited
Cooper, James F. Grand Themes Need Great Art. American Arts Quarterly, Volume 24, number 3. 2007. Web. April 21, 2011.
Genocchio, Benjamin. The Tragedy of 9/11, on a Long Sheet of Canvas. The New York Times. February 18, 2007.
Lane, Michael. Art interpretation: Terror and tragedy, by Graydon Parris. July 21, 2007. Web. April 21, 2011.
New Britain Museum of American Art. The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001. September 10, 2010. Web. April 21, 2011.
Sandstead, Lee. A Brief Introduction to Artist Graydon Parrish. 2006. Web. April 21, 2011.