"I was drawn to the fragility and grace of the human figure in the landscape…paradise has become an uneasy dwelling place; the sublime sea frames our vulnerability, the precarious nature of life itself."
—Richard MisrachRobert Misrach’s series On the Beach engages with the pervasive sense of physical and psychological vulnerability Americans felt in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Employing an aerial perspective achieved from a hotel room window, Misrach eliminated the horizon line and created a sense of isolation surrounding the swimmers and sunbathers within the vastness of the landscape below. A subtle feeling of uneasiness grows when looking at Untitled #704-03 at length – shadows seem to lengthen and the lone figure in the sand combines to create this scene of voyeurism. On the Beach demonstrates Misrach’s incredible ability to capture the metaphysical connection between humans and their environment.
