FORT DEFIANCE KICKS OFF 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A NEW MURAL BY DUKE RILEY

The Semper Durfer, unveiled.

It’s a classic Revolutionary War battle tableau — formal ranks of fearsome Redcoats square off against a ragtag bunch of… mermaids?

It’s the kind of thing one might expect from Duke Riley, the Brooklyn-based artist who produced Semper Defier, the mural that will hang above the bar at Red Hook restaurant Fort Defiance. Riley, whose work is exhibited in several museums internationally, has a signature style which “interweaves historical and contemporary events with elements of fiction and myth to create allegorical histories,” according to his artist’s bio.

Inspired by conversations between Riley and Fort Defiance owner St. John Frizell, Semper Defier (loosley) depicts the maritime aspect of the Battle of Brooklyn, August 1776, in a style reminiscent of 18th century American woodcuts, like Paul Revere’s “The Bloody Massacre” (1770).

To the right, Continental mermaids fire cannon and muskets at British soldiers. In the center of the painting, the flagship HMS Eagle is silhouetted against a cloudy nighttime sky, while the American Turtle, the world’s first combat submarine (and inspiration for Riley’s 2007 work “After the Battle of Brooklyn”) bobs in the foreground. On the mermaids’ side, a fort looms on a hillside in the distance: Fort Defiance, for which the restaurant is named.

“It’s a dream come true,” says Frizell, who met Riley at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook some time before Fort Defiance opened in 2009. “Since we opened, I’ve been saving the space above the bar for a painting depicting the Battle of Brooklyn and the first Fort Defiance. Duke’s been a regular at Fort Defiance for years, and I’ve always been a huge fan of his work. I’m thrilled that it all came together like this.”

Semper Defier was unveiled at a reception on Wednesday, April 17, at 6pm — the first in a series of 10th anniversary events in 2019, including a Fort Defiance / Sunken Harbor Club tiki party on June 20 (the exact 10th anniversary of opening), and a commemoration of the Battle of Brooklyn in late August.

From the display above the bar at Fort Defiance: “Fort Defiance was built in Red Hook during the Revolutionary War. Its four 18-pound cannon commanded New York Harbor & discouraged the British fleet from sailing into the East River during the Battle of Brooklyn in August 1776. George Washington and the Continental Army narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of the British by crossing to Manhattan in the middle of the night, just a few miles upriver from Ft. Defiance.”

 

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
On Key

Related Posts

Year of the Snake celebrated at Red Hook school by Nathan Weiser

PS 676/Harbor Middle School had another family fun night on January 28 after school in their cafeteria. The theme was Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year began on January 29, which marked the arrival of the year of the snake. The Lion Dance is performed during Lunar New Year as well as iconic firecracker ceremony. There was Chinese food and

Column: Since the community doesn’t seem to have much sway on the future of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, the courts beckon, by George Fiala

Money and politics often get in the way of what economists call “The Public Good.” Here is Wikipedia’s  definition: “In economics, a public good (also referred to as a social good or collective good) is a good that is both non-excludable and non-rivalrous. Use by one person neither prevents access by other people, nor does it reduce availability to others.

Carroll Gardens Association empowers Nannys, by Brian Abate

The Carroll Gardens Nanny Association (CGNA) is working to raise the standards in the domestic work industry. Rosemary Martinez, Wendy Guerrero, and Charon Best are all a part of the CGNA with Martinez working as a domestic worker organizer and Guerrero working as a program coordinator. All three have in common that they all did domestic work after moving to

Walking With Coffee, by R.J. Cirillo

A descent into the maelstrom     There is a short story written in 1841 by Edgar Allen Poe called “A Descent into the Maelstrom.” It tells the tale of a mariner at sea caught in a giant whirlpool. IMHO we ourselves are currently spiraling downward in a similar predicament. Hard to say when this malevolent spin of events began.