Sowing and Ploughing in the Fields

The ancient Egyptians created the wall painting Sowing and Ploughing in the Fields for the tomb of Sennedjem in the 13^th century B.C. The primary purpose of tomb wall paintings is to reflect “the cycle of the seasons that will repeat for eternity” (Aspect Art). Therefore, many tomb wall paintings often present hunting and farming scenes. And this significantly shows how much the Egyptians back in the 13^th century B.C. valued their agricultural lives. They knew they could not survive without nature, and they wanted their later generations to remember that and appreciate nature.

This tomb wall painting, Sowing and Ploughing in the Fields, is so simple but yet the color and subject delivers a clear and powerful message to the audience: people in Egypt at that time lived agricultural lives. A man and a woman are cultivating the land with the help of two goats. This scene is significant because it shows that Egyptians at that time era were no longer hunters or nomadic people. They had learned how to take advantage of the natural world and became sedentary people. Unlike the Western art works, the subjects in this painting are dull and lifeless. Additionally, the painter uses yellow as the background of the painting which makes the painting look even more spiritless. However, it is important to realize the significance of a tomb wall painting or even a typical Egyptian painting is to record and pass on the interesting scenes and stories which the ancestors left behind (Aspect Art). The fact that they once farmed, hunted animals and lived in the natural world were what the ancient Egyptians hoped to tell their descendants. They lived in nature, understood the significance of it and respected it.

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

The German artist, Caspar David Friedrich, painted Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog in 1818. In Germany at that time era, the Industrial Revolution had just begun, and the many practical benefits that accompanied it caused science to have an ever-greater impact on European life. They believed that with the scientific method, everything was explainable and eventually, achievable (Duiker and Spielvogel 536). It was not until this time period that people attempted to use machines to replace human labors. As a Romantic artist, Friedrich wanted to remind people that in front of almighty nature, human beings still have much to learn and fear and more importantly, science cannot control nature. He disliked the fact that people were trying to conquer nature with science and wanted them to remember their own souls – the initial intimate relationship with the natural world.

In this painting, a well dressed upper-class-man is standing on the summit of a mountain with a walking stick. As the central figure of the painting, he has his back facing the audience. This unusual perspective set up by Friedrich creates a sense of pride within this human being who has just arrived upon the peak of a mountain. Considering the fact that the Industrial Revolution had just begun and Friedrich was a Romantic artist, it is evident that this central figure represents the people who became intoxicated in science and believed they could conquer nature. However, from the direction of where he is looking at, there are boundless mountains in front of him and thus delivers the message that what this man has yet to accomplish is limitless. Additionally, the fog surrounding the mountains adds a sense of mystery and unknown to the painting. After all, Friedrich painted this art work to counter the Industrial revolution, to awaken those who are too intoxicated in the practical benefits of science and more importantly, to remind people of the divinity of the natural world. However, he also inevitably reflected the enterprising spirit of the Germans at his time period: science and the industry rule because they bring practical benefits.

Industry Clouds

Kay Jackson, the artist who painted Industrial Clouds in 2003, is famous for revealing “a wide range of environmental concerns: overpopulation, pollution, loss of habitat, and endangered species” in his paintings (University of Texas). She uses “gold to create a decorative border”, a technique which she applied on her well-known-painting Industrial Clouds (Addison, Ripley). She, as a Jazz artist, vividly presented the modern relationship between humans and nature.

In one way or another, human beings have already over-powered nature. People now possess the power to tear down acres and acres of forests; people are now able to build an island in the middle of the ocean, like what they have in Dubai; and finally, people can even open a hole in the sky – the ozone. Compared to what human beings were capable of doing 200 years ago, there is no doubt that people have come a long way in their accomplishments. However, what people did not realize is the mass pollution that accompanied the development of technology. At one point, people were so blinded by the many practical benefits which accompanied modernization that they were willing to accomplish their goals with any cost, including the damage of nature. And this tragic mindset is vividly depicted in the painting Industrial Clouds. In the painting, countless factories fill the background. Through the clouds of smoke that the factories emit, the factories seem surreal and everything is close-knit. The fact that the sky does not exist in this painting reveals the catastrophic pollution that the factories release. Too many things are going on at once, which also ties into the theme of overpopulation. And most importantly, the clouds of smoke that cover the center of the painting directly deliver the message that the factories are seriously polluting the environment. Kay Jackson vividly presented the cruel relationship between nature and the human beings and wanted the people to realize the many mistakes they had done to nature.

Exxon Valdez Clean Up

Cars and planes have made people’s lives so much easier and more convenient. However, none of these modes of transportation would work without the existence of oil. Therefore, oil has played an extremely vital role in people’s lives ever since the start of the 20^th century. According to the book American Photography: A Century of Images, “with the rise of supertankers and offshore drilling have come devastating oil spills, most notably that of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska on March 24, 1989. It has become commonplace to see images of oil-covered animals – marine birds, a sea otter, dead fish – that symbolize the devastation” (Goldberg and Silberman). Humans have made their lives so much easier with the cost of countless deaths of animals and irrecoverable damage of the natural world.

This photograph of the Exxon Valdez Clean Up by Natalie Fobes in 1989 is in no way as extravagant as many award-winning-photographs; however, the meaning behind the scene is irreplaceable. In this photograph, everything in the background is in chaos and hundreds of workers are trying to rescue the environment from oil pollution. Finally, human beings have to face the consequences of over-developing Earth. If this happened back in the days when the Industrial Revolution had just begun, when people were still building factories after factories to develop and flourish their society, people might not make such a big deal out of this pollution since they had not yet realized the importance of nature. However, this happened in the late 20^th century, a time when many educated elites and people cared about the environment. Our actions have finally hit us and reminded us that both humans and nature live on the same Earth. As a result, more and more people nowadays do as much as they can to benefit the environment. Though many try to be environmentally friendly, how many of them are willing to give up their comfortable city lives and return to nature? People are too used to the convenience technology has brought them. This cruel fact once again reflects the change of our relationship with nature: we take advantage of it in any way possible, but we are not willing to get “close” to it.

New York City

Debra Hurd, the painter of New York City, is a talented artist who is well-known for her “insightful paintings of animals, her vivid city scenes and her passionate and perceptive depictions of jazz, rock, and blues musicians” (Debra Hurd). She as a successful artist, is also an accomplished musician due to her early days of study on music (Debra Hurd). In the painting the New York City, the first thing that stands out is the unique appliance of color. Everything is so bright and vivid in a way that leads the audience to the excitement of the city lives. And here is how she explains her choosing of colors: “a very ordinary scene can be perceived differently when painted with a bit of exaggerated color and awareness of light. The ordinary then becomes the extraordinary. Color is critical. When I'm asked which color is my favorite, I tend to think in terms of which two or three colors I like in combination” (Debra Hurd).

The Painting New York City by Debra Hurd vividly depicts the lively night life in New York. The background is full of buildings with countless bright and colorful signs on them. All of the buildings are so close to each other that it creates a tension for the painting which reveals the overcrowded stress of the cities. This painting successfully reflects the attitude towards life that the majority possesses. Being able to live in the city means a comfortable, colorful and joyful life. People do whatever they can to get out of the countryside and work in the city. People have chosen to forget their original home – nature because they believe they have found themselves a better home.

But which one is really better, nature or modern technologies?