Impact Splash

Art Gallery of Shanthi Thiruppathi includes this climate change art on canvas. Due to global warming, glacier ice melts faster than normal which leads to glacial calving. This arctic art on canvas is a powerful rendition of what is happening to the polar bear habitat. 

Story Behind Art

'Impact Splash’ is an acrylic painting of a big splash that has become all too familiar to inhabitants of the arctic region.  The grandeur of glaciers, the kinetic energy, the colors and the sparkly bits, create a regal scene that is breathtaking at first sight. But at a deeper level, evokes awareness. The painting depicts a mother polar bear and her cub witnessing the calving of a glacier. As ice melts, the free flowing water erodes the glacier which de-stabilizes it, causing a chunk of ice to break off into the ocean. This exhilarating display of nature is a normal part of a glacier’s life cycle. But too many splashes - create tidal waves, leaving this beautiful sight with dark undertones. Glacial calving now occurs at extreme rates due to a rise in global temperatures. When the melting of ice exceeds the rate at which snow turns into hard ice, glaciers cannot be sustained. This contributes to a rise in sea levels and a decrease in ice habitats. This will affect all coastal life, beginning with those living on land in the arctic region. Polar bears are directly affected as their homes for roaming and hunting begins to disappear. The mother polar bear and her cub are not just on-lookers. Although mother polar bear faces towards the big splash, she looks at the viewer. Because she knows we are not on-lookers either. She hopes we recognize the big impact.