Welcome Home
Wendell Gladstone, 2011, acrylic on linen, 84″ x 60″, © 2011, courtesy of Kravets Wehby Gallery and the artist
Wendell Gladstone
With an impressive array of rendering styles and surface textures, and a healthy dose of sleight of hand, Wendell Gladstone lures you into his mysterious dreamscapes. He invites you to join a program already in progress, your eyes racing to take in a drama that is unfolding in multiple dimensions. He tempts you to pull on loose threads that snake and weave through colorful figures, objects, landscapes and abstract patterns, each painstakingly-crafted in acrylic paint and gesso. These visual elements are complemented by his elusive stories, which, like his visual elements, often mutate within a painting, and from one painting to the next. Gladstone’s stories and visual elements are a melting pot of invention and osmosis. His paintings evoke timeless fables or parables that have been infected by the impurities and detritus of modern life. Throughout Gladstone’s work, we are reminded of our increasingly-strained relationship with the natural environment. In several works, sad-sack characters and star-crossed lovers share the foreground with beach trash, empty beer cans, steam engines and distressed wildlife. In other works, wildlife and the natural environment are the central victims of a dystopian relationship, or violent encounter, with humanity. While these stories rarely seem to end well for humans or nature, there may be a ray of hope in Gladstone’s work. His numerous references to aboriginal cultures living in natural environments are a reminder that we enjoyed a healthier relationship to nature in the not-so-distant past, and that this relationship is not beyond reach.
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In “Welcome Home,” “Devolution” and “Sound of the Sea,” Wendell Gladstone references one of the defining environmental challenges of our era: the build up of trash in our oceans. A staggering quantity of trash, much of it plastic, finds its way into our oceans and its effect on wildlife has been devastating. Our infatuation with plastics is also very harmful to human health and the well-being of our communities. In thisTED talk, Van Jones identifies plastic waste as a social justice issue, noting that adverse environmental effects are often borne disproportionately by the poorest members of society.
Ocean fisheries are a critical component of humanity’s food supply. Since 1988, the amount of food that we can harvest from our oceans has been declining due to overfishing and mismanagement of ocean ecosystems. There is hope, however, that we can restore ocean fisheries by setting quotas, reducing wasteful bycatch (catching and killing fish that are not targeted) and protecting the ecological habitats that serve as spawning areas and nurseries for ocean fish. Learn more about efforts to rehabilitate ocean fisheries in thisTED talk by Jackie Savitz of Oceana.
C.A.B., Malthusian Solution
Wendell Gladstone, 2011, acrylic on linen, 84″ x 180″, © 2011, courtesy of Kravets Wehby Gallery and the artist
“C.A.B., Malthusian Solution” portrays the bleak future predicted by political economist Thomas Robert Malthus. In his 1798 essay, Malthus asserted that human population growth would outpace the growth of our food supply, and ultimately be held in check by food shortages and famine. Learn more about Malthus and his work in thiseducational video, and view this real-time counter to see the current global human population.
Wendell Gladstone’s work is rich in symbolism, metaphor and clandestine detail. In this painting, he uses a diversity of imagery to depict a troubling chain of events. He envisions the future predicted by Malthus, as human reproduction creates pressure on nature and our food supply, leading to tragic consequences and a return to more primitive methods of subsistence. Zoom into the image to find colorful representations of human procreation and population growth, nature and the food chain under pressure and out of balance, time running out, a population crash, and grieving in the aftermath. Can you find the letters “C.A.B.” (Crash and Burn) within the work?
Smoke Signal Rope Umbilical
Wendell Gladstone, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 66″ x 84″, © 2007, courtesy of Kravets Wehby Gallery and the artist
In “Smoke Signal Rope Umbilical,” Wendell Gladstone evokes the mythology of indigenous groups. Animals are revered in Native American culture and play a central role in their spiritual beliefs and ceremonial practices. Learn more about animals that are sacred to Native American groups in this post.
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Wendell Gladstone creates mysterious paintings in which human drama unfolds against the backdrop of a tainted natural world. If you are inspired by his work, you can take action in your own life. Select one or more pledges listed below and spread the word. You can also learn more by visiting our Pledge Center. Let’s #EndOvershoot and save our #OneEarth.