the
Four Horsemen
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y world, my Earth is a ruin. A planet spoiled by the human species. We multiplied and fought and gobbled until there was nothing left, and then we died. We controlled neither appetite nor violence; we did not adapt. We destroyed ourselves. But we destroyed the world first.� - Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed
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Table of Contents Artist Statement .................................................................................. vi-vii Black Horseman .............................................................................. viii-xiii Pale Horseman ................................................................................. xiv-xix 4 Piece Spread ................................................................................... xx-xxi White Horseman ...................................................................... xxii-xxviii Red Horseman .......................................................................... xxviii-xxix Acknowledgments.............................................................................. xxxiv
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Artist Statement These days, the security of our future grows ever more in question. Recently, scientists have announced that we may only have until 2030 to control our CO2 emissions before irreversible changes such as widespread droughts and famines, the spread of insect-borne diseases, mass displacement of populations, and worsening of severe poverty will overtake our lives. When I first heard of this alarming news, I felt as if I was wasting my time establishing a career in art. I would think to myself that getting a science degree to help fight climate change first-hand would be a much more valuable use of my time instead of drawing, painting, and sculpting. What I failed to realize is my pursuit is far more than simply creating aesthetically pleasing pieces. Art and media have given me the ability to effectively communicate any issues I am passionate about to an audience. I believe that this is most effective in combination with the mythology and stories we have grown up with. These narratives use common themes, characters, and plot structures to teach us important life lessons which we can use to solve real-life problems.
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Some of the most iconic figures are The Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse, the harbingers of destruction from the Book of Revelations in the Bible. I wanted to encapsulate these figures as four of the most detrimental human environmental impacts. The main figures of the Four Horsemen are the Black, Pale, Red, and White horseman. The black horseman, who traditionally represents famine, represents the excessive emissions of CO2 from burning fossil fuels, which is a main contributor for climate change. Next is deforestation from conversion of land for forestry or agriculture, which is represented by the pale horseman. The white horseman represents plastic pollution which harms plants, animals, and people on both land and in the water. Finally, the red horseman represents animal agriculture, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions as well as deforestation, biodiversity loss and water pollution.
With these terrifying figures, I hope to communicate to
my audience the horrors we will face in the foreseeable future. I hope to inspire people to take more active roles in fighting against human activities that contribute to the decline in the state of our environment. Such stories as the Four Horsemen were created to remind us that we are human, we are flawed, and we must face our actions head-on or suffer the consequences.
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The Black Horseman I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not damage the oil and the wine. REVELATION 6:5-6
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The Black Horseman, also known as Famine, is commonly depicted as a food merchant carrying weighing scales. In my reiteration, the Black Horseman represents humanity’s excessive CO2 emmissions. The rider is not mounted on a horse but instead a Hell Pig, a prehistoric, terrifying beast. Since it is the bodies of prehistoric animals that serve as our fuel which leads to the overproduction of CO2, I thought the animal would be fitting. I wanted to include the iconic scales which serve as important symbols for the figure. I enlarged them and placed them on the back of the Hell Pig to serve as a reminder for the weight of the strain we are putting on the environment. On the back of the Horseman are smoke stacks which are often physical representations of the pollution of CO2.
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The Pale Horseman I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hell was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. REVELATION 6:8
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The Pale Horseman is the personification of Death. I wanted him to symbolize the exorbitant razing of trees and forests which help cycle CO2 from the air. He is made out of twisting branches and roots which entwine around the skeleton of an Irish Elk. Since elk and their closely related counterparts often serve as symbols of the forest in many cultures, I saw it approporiate for my character to ride such an animal. In the middle of the brances sits a skull as many interpretations of Death depict him as a human skeleton. Although his biblical representation does not describe him with any weapons or objects, many versions of Death, such as the Grim Reaper, show the figure holding a scythe, which I included in my character.
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The White Horseman I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conqering and to conquer. REVELATION 6:2
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Although there are many different depictions of the White Horseman based on the biblical text, Pestilence is probably the most popular. One of the most devastating scourges of our planet today is the gross overabundance of plastics. I wanted my character to convey the gravity of the amount of plastic in our ecosystems, so I designed him as a large mound of debris. Among the various objects are plastic waste that commonly ends up in the ocean such as water bottles, fishing equipment, and flip flops. This Horseman is the only one to ride on a horse, as I wanted to keep the animal becuase of the large amount of weight work horses typically have to carry. As the strong horse buckles under the weight of the immense pile riding on top of it, I hope to remind others of the problem of the plastic plague.
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The Red Horseman And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. REVELATION 6:3-4
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The Red Horseman is the creator of war and bloodshed, and one of the greatest amounts of bloodshed in modern history can be attributed to the animal agriculture industry which wreaks havoc on the environment. The Horseman rides on top of a headless bull because beef is one of the least environmentally sustainable meat to produce. I wanted to include a lot of body horror in this sculpture to capture the macabre nature of slaughterhouses. So, the rider wears the head of the bull and the flesh and muscles of both the bull and horseman are exposed. On the horseman’s back is a blood eagle, a torture method where the ribs are cracked open to expose the insides. The original text states that the horseman wields a large sword which I reinterpreted as him holding a over-the-top large butcher’s knife. xxxii
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Acknowledgments I wanted to thank my teachers for guiding me academically, my family for supporting me both financially and emotionally, and my friends for lifting my spirits during tough times. Without any of you, this would not be possible and I would not be who I am today. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
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