Fort Tilden II

Paul Caranicas, Fort Tilden II, 1979, pencil on paper, sheet: 23 ¹⁄₄ x 30 ³⁄₄ in. (59.2 x 78.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.14

Artwork Details

Title: Fort Tilden II
Artist: Paul Caranicas
Date: 1979
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: sheet: 23 ¹⁄₄ x 30 ³⁄₄ in. (59.2 x 78.0 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums: pencil
Mediums Description: pencil on paper
Classifications: Drawing
Subjects: Architecture — military — Fort Tilden
Object Number: 1986.6.14
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.6.14

Artwork Description

Paul Caranicas discovered a surreal beauty in the abandoned, block-like shells of World War II defensive bunkers along the US and French coastlines. In Fort Tilden II, the viewer, like the soldiers who once kept watch, looks out from deep within the interior. For Caranicas, the crumbling concrete floor and water-stained walls link past and present, creating a sense, he said, that "time stands still."

Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014