The spring equinox just had its moment on March 20 and as we head into April our thoughts turn to new beginnings. It’s easy to see why nature and the magnificent beauty of earth take center stage as the spring days roll out.
It makes perfect sense that earth and art have always had a deep, long-standing relationship. Everything we know and everything that impacts our daily lives–from computer chips to a bouquet of flowers to eating a donut to creating a painting–has, as its source, the earth. From the pyramids of Egypt to da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa all art originates from our connection with planet earth.
In 1969 a massive oil spill off the coast of southern California inspired the first annual Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Today Earth Day is recognized as the launch of the environmental movement and observed in nearly 200 countries around the world.
Not surprisingly, artists jumped in to express the idea of Earth Day through their art. Robert Rauschenberg designed the first Earth Day poster to benefit the movement. It used the bald eagle as the dominant image, a bird that almost became extinct due to the use of DDT pesticides that polluted waterways. DDT was banned in 1972 as a direct result of Earth Day. Today the rebound of bald eagle populations and unpolluted waterways show how Earth Day has done its job.
Rauschenberg’s “Earth Day 22 April” poster was published in an edition of 10,300 by Castelli Graphics, New York. Using the bald eagle as the dominant image, the artist symbolically placed the United States at the center of a global problem. Muted and muddy tones depicting environmental decay surround the national bird: polluted cities, contaminated waters, junkyards littered with debris, landscapes scarred by highways and deforestation, and the gorilla, another endangered animal. The safekeeping of the environment and the notion of individual responsibility for the welfare of life on earth was a longstanding concern of Rauschenberg, and this notion would inform his art and activism throughout his life. The poster designed for the inaugural Earth Day was one of many he would create to raise funds for the myriad social causes that were important to him.
People speak of “saving the earth” as an aspiration. The truth is that the earth doesn’t need our help. The earth will go on doing its thing long after we’re gone. The dinosaurs are said to have inhabited earth for 180 million years (give or take) while modern humans have been around for a mere 300,000 years. We are but guests on the planet, existing in a moment of time, perhaps. Our existence relies on a climate that can provide clean air, clean water and grow plants and animals vital to our survival.
It’s unfortunate that both Earth Day and the EPA have become mired in political dissention. Most of us can agree that protecting clean air and water for the benefit of all living beings should not be a political issue. We should all be able to get behind protections that keep our planet healthy and livable. Individual responsibility is truly at the core of Earth Day.
As you enjoy the new beginnings of yet another beautiful spring make it a point to stop by Auburn Old Town Gallery. There you will find unique pieces of art inspired by our natural world, all of them made by talented local artists. Indeed, the beauty and promise of our earth is alive and well in Auburn Old Town Gallery. And we look forward to seeing you!
“Everyday is Earth Day.” -Unknown