2025｜AP 2-D Art & Design and AP Drawing｜Sustained Investigation #5
- Title
- The Perfect Precariousness
- Size
- Medium
- Formboard, Color pencil on canvas board & acrylic board, LED light
Artist Statement
The iconic image of the ironworkers resting high above Rockefeller Center, often mistakenly attributed to an unknown photographer but famously titled Lunch atop a Skyscraper, is a well-captured piece, rich with meaning and open to profound interpretation.
To me, this photograph captures the most breathtaking moment of respite one can imagine, and I chose to honor it with an artistic homage. Yet, unlike the original laborers, I have portrayed my subject having cast off the discomfort—shedding restrictive shoes and embracing true ease while listening to music that provides the deepest personal solace.
This painting is a reverent nod to the highly precarious moments of rest taken by those who constructed a building that would become a magnificent, generational landmark. My figure sits in the exact, courageous posture of the original men, gazing down upon the city, but embodying a contrasting state of ultimate comfort. The work is built upon approximately four distinct layers, intentionally rendered to emphasize the sheer, dizzying elevation of that shared, extraordinary perch.