Book Release: The Artists of One World Trade Center

Please click here to access the book: 'The artists of One World Trade Center', curated by Edelman Arts.

Brush Strokes are Human, Personal and Intimate

Donald Martiny at work in the 1WTC lobby.

Emily Jaeger, Features Editor:
Could you talk a little about your interest in the painter’s gesture, this impactful exaggeration of the actual brushstroke? What was your impetus to begin exploring it in your work?

Donald Martiny:
First let me make clear that these works are actual brushstrokes. Many people mistake them for sculptures or molds. They are not forms that have been painted, they are pure paint through and through that I make with large brushes or directly with my hands. Brushstrokes are human, personal, and intimate. When I look at a painting by Ingres or Frederick Leighton the artist isn’t obviously present. When I look at Rembrandt I feel him there, I can connect with him. I want to be present in my work. Read the rest of the article on the Woven Tale Press website.

Installation at One World Trade Center

In 2015 Martiny was commissioned  for installation works at  One World Trade Center. As the works were to be too large to fit through the doors, he actually painted them on site, moving his “studio” for two months into the lobby of the building: “Up to this point no one had ever seen me paint, I always paint alone. The Trade Center gets 25,000 visitors every day. That took a bit of getting used to.”

“I paint on the floor, and using a wide brush with a short handle, apply a mixture of polymer and pigment. Never is my hand more than a few inches from the painting. Sometimes I prefer to use my hands instead of brush because I like the direct contact with the paint."

“I prefer the paint to have the consistency of Vaseline or creamy peanut butter, as I work from all sides, to create a set of brushstrokes that address the viewer in their own space and at their own scale.” Woven Tale Press

Artsy: One World Trade Center’s Lobby Gets Two Massive Brushstrokes

Read the review by Anna Furman for Artsy by clicking here.