Reflection

I was inspired to draw The Burning Night after recalling the effects that the 2023 Canadian wildfires had on myself and millions of other residents. The fires, which spread at unprecedented rates due to climate-induced droughts, forced over 185,000 people to flee from their homes. Although the actual fires were miles away from my home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one night my family saw the sky turn bright red and orange, with heavy smoke causing us to start coughing heavily. Although this was the first time my family had experienced such heavy air pollution, unhealthy living conditions like these are the terrible realities for millions of people worldwide. More critically, the drastic expansion of climate change threatens for these conditions to become a daily worry for all of humanity within the next half century. In my submission, I parody the iconic painting The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, striking a chord between beauty and disaster. I replace the painting’s town with Philadelphia’s skyline and add signs of climate change, such as flooding, smoke, and deforestation. Most notable is the color contrast with Van Gogh’s painting: instead of a calming blue color pallet, much of my artwork is based off a burning reddish-orange. This detail not only refers back to my experiences last year but also highlights the destructive character of global warming towards both nature and humanity. The city of Philadelphia in my artwork lacks color besides white and black, which is done to highlight its specialness to me and humankind’s blank vulnerability to climate change’s wrath. I complement a vivid moon with solar panels and wind turbines to show a glimmer of hope for a reformed future through clean energy. I hope to use my art talent to share my passion for Earth’s natural beauty and the fight against destructive global warming.