Chester Arnold's paintings are mostly about the impact of economic development on the environment. The title of the painting is"Here On Earth As It Is In Heaven." The land is barren with only a few trees at the very top. Below is a wasteland as a result of unchecked economic advancements. The water is red, a sign of pollution, so no life exists within it. As a result of pollution, the area closer to the red water has no fertile soil, no nutrients to sustain the growth of trees, the expansion of animal life. You can barely see animals in the picture. As we know, when an area is no longer able to support life, trees die and animal life decreases, and eventually they migrate elsewhere. The only part of the picture that I see is alive, is the very top where the trees grow. I could also see how small it is compared to how great an area unchecked economic development has impacted.
It can also be interpreted as how human are causing more harm to our planet. If our practices and behaviors on earth are to destroy the world given to us to care for, then our heaven would very much look like earth, hence why it is entitled "On Earh as It Is in Heaven." The trees on top are away from pollution and the ill effects of economic and technological advances so it is somewhat protected. But, if such unfriendly environmental practices continue, it too would be affected. The trees would die, the animals would die, and people would not be able to live their lives as well. How could we when we rely on trees to support us with clean air, and animal for food. Not only that but it will impact other resources such as the ocean and our lakes and rivers. If such actions continue to go unchecked the our world as we know it will, in the days to come, become nothing but a wasteland.
People depend on the environment for many things such as food, water, to name just a few. If these things are altered in such a way that their primary use can no longer be of value to people, they are rendered useless. That is, they are no longer safe. The dilemma here is that it is people’s indecisions (poor policies) and ineffective behaviors (unfriendly environmental practices) that bring about such problems. If the economic policies and developments of a country are not fully analyzed and looked into, their consequences on the environment, and the economy itself, would be disastrous. Chester does this really well by placing the trees atop a mount—where it is somewhat still safe and everything else below it (an area of wasteland). The water is red to show the impact of water pollution. As a result of the polluted water, there are no trees and animals within the surrounding areas. In any ecosystem, a balance should be maintained in order for life to flourish, this can be done by passing environmental friendly policies.Arnold is also trying to incorporate and modernize his work with some very meaningful and greatest painting of all time. For example, "The Tower of Babel," and " The Fall of Icarius." Both paintings are very powerful in interpreting the demise of human kind, our kind. Arnold is trying to teach, and imprint messages through his paintings for viewers to take a good look and see through his eyes what he sees now, and what will become of our future.
