Monday, August 21, 2023

                                            J._M._W._Turner  Avalanche and Thunderstorm

The Art of Storm...

Last night I stood outside on my covered patio and breathed in the warm heavy air of  Hillary,  a tropical storm. It  was the first storm of this kind in 80 years, and it is a prognosticator of what will come in our future.  As I watched the trees in the howling throws of winds and rain, I had the feeling that " the chickens are coming home to roost". In this scenario, the chickens being the increasing amount of  burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.  

Today much of art is created to bring to awareness of a cultural problem. I have always thought of our planet Earth as a being on which we depend, much like children depend on their mother for sustenance and safety. Our Earth is sending us events to foretell us that our future environment for human life is in jeopardy. The Planet will be here for millions more years, but the environment for our life's support is what we should be concerned with. Saving the Planet is not the problem. Saving our environment that supports our lives is the problem.

The Life Line   Winslow Homer


 

Over the many millennia, artists have told stories of storms in their paintings, which were inspired by the energy of the storm and the electric impulses of the storm becoming their own energy. The two artists that I mention here, were not aware of our existential crisis of today. The Art of Storm today, therefore is being painted by our Planet Earth, we should view these images with our eyes, our minds, and our hearts, for these new images are real. Not hanging on a wall, but are living breathing events creating pictures of our future. 

Palm Springs August 20, 2023