I hope to preserve the beauty and massiveness of the structures

9/11 2001-2011

C

entral Michigan University art faculty member Kirt Doke talks about his paintings of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, as they should be:

"In 1977, I visited New York as part of a CMU class led by David Fisher. The very first stop on our tour was the recently opened World Trade Center. I can recall the rush of excitement as the express elevator thrust us upward to the observation area. The design and the huge scale of the building left an indelible impression upon me as a student. After graduation from CMU in 1979, I returned to live in and around Manhattan for the next couple of years. The WTC was a stop I always showed friends and visitors that were new to New York."

From top to bottom: World Trade Center, Lower Manhattan, A View from Queens, Brooklyn Bridge.

"A couple of days after the event, I began a single painting. At first I was going to paint the burning buildings. After blocking in most of the composition, I found that I could not complete it in a state of destruction. I then painted six or seven other works that were of the World Trade Center intact, before the event. With my work I hope to recall and preserve the beauty and massiveness of the structures. The year after I finished the series I exhibited several of the works in juried art competitions around Michigan. The works were not for sale, as I did not want to profit from such a dreadful time and event."