Untitled, 2019, is a canvas with a bluish chalky forest burning to a cinder. At first the scene appears serene and innocent, but then the pasty and ash-like smoky haze created by the burning woodlands engages the viewer’s attention. The composition portrays trees branching out on both sides, with an open area in the centre and remote bleakness in the distance. To the left, we can observe vibrant red glowing embers revealing the ongoing source of damage, bringing to light the negative effect of human interference within nature.
Herter's inspiration derives from photos and images in the news about these disasters, exemplifying that the forests are on the brink of extinction. The ethereal quality of the paintings conveys a sense of demise, devastation, and destruction caused to widespread areas throughout Brazil, in particular the Amazon region.
Although there is an increasing awareness that hotter and drier conditions impact our ecosystems, generating an enlarged risk of wildfires simultaneously affects the weather and climate by releasing large quantities of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and fine particulate matter into the atmosphere. Consequently, global warming and deforestation, creating long periods of droughts and floods, are the results of the human desire for fossil fuels.
Image: Ana Herter, Untitled, 2019, acrylic on canvas, H150 mm x W300 mm.
Courtesy and ©Ana Herter and Renee Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy.
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