As usual, my analysis of this artwork will follow the 4 step guide, with an earth day themed twist in the mix. The art is titled: “Inheritance” and created by Jennifer Luxton.
- Describe:
At face value, a sitting, diapered toddler who is vividly upset, sits infront of a planet earth, about as tall as his cheek to his foot. It is smaller than the child. Both the earth and the child are dark red, but almost a hazy orange, not far different then the kind you may see on the eve of a forest fire. Even the diaper, which is supposed to be white is a hazy orange-red, and the hair is dark orange-red, not quite black. At the top of the earth, there is fire, but it appears that the earth is falling given the fire is standing very tall but also angled slightly to the right. Surrounding the earth is a hellish-halo of bright white, even under the fire on the top of the earth. The child, mouth open, eyes closed in what seems to be desperation and sadness, bears witness to a burning planet earth in an otherwise sterile void of light green, as if its is nothing but a paper record, or simply a void. Interestingly, there is a great deal of detail on the child’s ear as well. Perhaps it suggests the baby is desperate for help, and will listen to anyone/anything, but that is wholly speculative.
2. Analyse:
Aside from the child’s front hair, facial expressions, and a few other locations, most of the image is not “defined”. Rather, blobs of slightly differing shades seem to combine into the shapes shown in the art. Though the color pallet is not an eye-catching red, it’s thought provocative. It’s a hazy, light red. The front and back of the baby are both lighter than the middle of the body, as if the light of a fire is striking both sides of the baby. The texture seems coarse. Because of the shading, nothing seems flat or uniform. If you were to run your finger over it, the assumption is a scaly and rough surface. Using the slight variations of shades, the viewers eyes follow the body, to the earth, to the flames, or the other way around. The shading guides and points out elements the artist wanted to emphasize.
3. Interpert:
The artwork is about the earth that the next generation will inheret. The title clearly states that, with the singular word “inheritance”. The artist suggests that with no action, the next generation will receive an earth in shambles. The art evokes sadness, disappointment and fear. This art is part of an ever-increasing movement to cast light on the poor state of earth. Though I assume it is predominantly focused on climate change, given the color pallet of the art, I would ask the artist if there were any other factors that she wanted to illustrate. With all of that being said, the earth on fire makes it blunt; our children will get a hellscape if we do nothing to stop it.
4. Judge:
The timeliness of this artwork is excellent. As the public begins to forget the exit of the Paris Accord, and major gas and oil companies air commercials about saving the earth, this art is a blunt and honest reminder of what will become of the earth if we continue to maintain the current state of our society and industry, both of which are predominantly powered through coal, use excessive amounts of plastics and chemicals in foods and domestic goods, and produces tremendous amounts of unnecessary waste. The artwork, even its title, are upfront and blunt. That being said, the picture is thought-provocative and will resonate with many as fear-mongering. Though the fears are based in truth, to the uneducated and ignorant, it would not help in persuading them to change their lifestyles. In other words, this illustration will not resonate with who it needs to, in order to make a serious change. I wouldn’t hang this work in my room either. It is not something that should currently be in a gallery. It is important, and should be the face of an eco-friendly energy and industry revolution, but like similar movements in the past, this work is not meant to sit in someone’s room. It’s meant to be put onto signs of protesters and circulated in the news.
