2018 Essay Contest Finalist

Entry by Jaeho Lee

Picking Up Where Nature Ends

The great artist Marc Chagall once stated with profound meaning that “Great art picks up where nature ends.” He meant that all art is merely a branch that owes its roots to the beauty of the Earth.

Geoscience studies the unique parts of Earth never discovered before, where the quiet development of natural activity has culminated to create a masterpiece. Such art does not have to be especially complex to inspire. For instance, gazing at a rock formation to inspect its uniqueness is one of many opportunities to observe the art strewn around the world. When the rough, craggy mountains in the distance stimulate admiration, it is like seeing the Earth’s crowning accomplishment. But we must understand the science, just as aspiring artists are required to analyze the color scheme and brush strokes of a painting. Geoscience can delve deeper into the origins of this “art”.

Early painters used their environment to create gorgeous shades, so the Earth is also involved in the creation of human-made art. When early humans ground up soil, charcoal, and other minerals, mixed them with a liquid, and started to leave marks on the cave wall, they were unconsciously drawing from the Earth. Painting was only possible in the first place because we found pre-made materials scattered on the Earth. Geoscience can help us understand where and how the early people found the natural resources, analyze the paint, and relate it to paintings made in the contemporary era.

The Earth is one large canvas which was filled up by the paint of natural activity. As one can see every day, Earth was formed in a unique way that seems almost creative, as if a person sculpted it. Instead of looking elsewhere for ideas, we can study geoscience to easily find the art in Earth.