Author: Edna Normand

This is the northwest corner of the intersection between Greene Street and Washington place. Here, on an afternoon in 1911, 146 immigrants died in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire.  Years later, in 1944, Victor Joseph Gatto came here to paint a tribute to the lives lost to negligence. Today, I came here to create a tribute to Gatto.

Now dominated by NYU buildings, street signs, and college students, the northwest corner is difficult to pinpoint; in the painting, it is dominated by horse-drawn carriages and men in top hats. Where there is smoke in the painting, there is sky in the photo (top right). My photo shows too much of the street and not enough of the building on the right. However, I found it impossible to incorporate much of that building at all. It must have been rebuilt further to the right, possibly to widen the street that is leading to the vanishing point.

Gatto used the fire as the vanishing point,, and it was therefore the last part of the painting that my eye saw. Perhaps he was pointing out the lack of attention that had been paid to the factory and its abused workers. Even when it was on fire, it wasn’t as important as the buildings around it.

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O.   What does Art mean?

Art is a display of abstract things, such as ideas and feelings, in a physical and concrete way. It can be therapeutic and enjoyable, but, for the most part, it doesn’t do much for societal progress. As Oscar Wilde wrote, “We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless.”
1.    What is your favorite art form?

Since I’ve never really had the opportunity to experience much else, my favorite art form must be writing. Don’t get me wrong- I enjoy writing immensely, and I used to write quite often. I just don’t think that I’ve been around art enough to answer this question adequately.
2.    What is your favorite historical period?

I enjoy reading about World War II. It’s interesting to read individual stories and use them to create my own picture of what happened.
3.    What is your academic/ non-academic strength?

Academically, I’m strong in many areas; math, science, and the humanities are all enjoyable. However, I’ll be focusing on the natural sciences during college. My non-academic strength is empathy.
4.    Do you feel comfortable with new technologies?

I generally feel comfortable with new technologies because they are built systematically, and are therefore easy to figure out.
5.    How would you rate your writing skills?

I’d give my writing an 8/10. It used to be a 9/10, but I haven’t practiced in a long time and I’ve lost some of my ability to be concise. Also, there’s always room for improvement.

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