Living the High Life
Suwanee, GA
2022, Senior, Art
Reflection
Reflection
The penguin appears to be “living the high life,” but upon closer inspection, you will notice piles of trash in the background, plastic bottles sticking up in the snow, and a lack of other penguins, implying that pollution and global warming have caused the other penguins to die off. Additionally, the glaring rays of the sun and the noticeable efforts the penguin go through to stay cool shows how bad global warming has gotten and completely contrasts our idea of the Antarctic as an extremely cold location. This is the true irony of this piece, as the penguin isn’t really living a life of luxury; instead it's trying to survive in this new, high-temperature environment. This penguin may be living the "high" life, but it's in terms of temperature. To the viewers of my artwork, this piece is a message about global warming and the toll it has on animals and their environments. It explains that humans as a species are largely responsible for the livelihoods of many animals all around the world.