Donald Sultan’s Disaster Paintings

Each of these 11 paintings, created between 1984 and 1990, is an imposing, industrial-like structure, reinforced by Sultan’s preferred media of Masonite tiles and tar. The resilience of his materials contrasts with his subject matter: fires, floods, and industrial catastrophes, which provoke feelings of fear, instability, and frailty. These large-scale paintings, most of which measure eight feet square, are heavy and dense, bringing a serious permanence to calamities that are often over in a flash. Sultan’s images force us to confront the realities of contemporary life and dare us to remember the long-term effects of each accident or reaction.