photo of Twin Towers by Beuys 1974 - Cosmos and Damian

Joseph Beuys, Cosmos und Damian, 1974



Sts Comos and Damian


I had a dream a long time ago of the twin towers rising up in a spiral motion, perfect and complete. I found this picture by artist Joseph Beuys on the web. He did it in 1974. I thought it was like my dream, the towers are gone physically, but in the realm of the infinite, they are still there.


""In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ""



Sts. Cosmos and Damian

Early Christian physicians and martyrs. They were twins, born in Arabia, and practiced the art of healing in the seaport Ægea, now Ayash (Ajass), on the Gulf of Iskanderun in Cilicia, Asia Minor, and attained a great reputation. They accepted no pay for their services and were, therefore, called anargyroi, "the silverless". In this way they brought many to the Catholic Faith. When the Diocletian persecution began, the Prefect Lysias had Cosmas and Damian arrested, and ordered them to recant. They remained constant under torture, in a miraculous manner suffered no injury from water, fire, air, nor on the cross, and were finally beheaded with the sword. Their three brothers, Anthimus, Leontius, and Euprepius died as martyrs with them. The execution took place September 27, probably in the year 287.

http://inside.bard.edu/blrc/projects/AmericanAge/CosmosundDamian.html

http://www.wf-f.org/StsCosmosDamian.html

[Lisa]

1. wow.

I'm trying to imagine how I'd feel about that Beuys picture if I'd seen it before the towers were destroyed. I think I would still have admired it (but for different reasons). This is an amazing example of how the interpretation of art can change with time, and different experiences ... mind if I use your finds in my art history class sometime?

2. go ahead - I just got it from general browsing

I have been looking at Beuys work. That he would put the name of martyrs on the towers seems prophetic to me.

3. And also Damian and Cosmos were Arab physicians

(translated from German- so kind of choppy)

Arab names written on twin Towers -

1973 write Beuys on the twin Towers the names of two Arab brothers: Cosmas and Damian. The two died as martyrs. This releases multilayered associations after 11 September. After the legend the two sewed on holy one one white one a black leg. “On the other side it made, says a completely normal procedure” Schlingensief. “He thought of, like things together to come, a black leg to a white body. A building, which stands there like two Stelzen, in which however humans are, in which the world is negotiated. And it wished itself that in the center a third column develops and those is then humans. Here a tower breaks, there breaks a tower and in the center is humans.”

(The surgeons apparently would graft limbs, sometimes a white limb onto a black person and vice versa).

[MoeHayNow]

4. I didn't know the Towers had names

And named after martyrs.
Wow!