Historic Painting: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by John Forrest, 2012.

Most of the artwork I showcase in this series comes from the 19th and early 20th centuries, so it’s a rare event to feature one from this century. But I was so struck by this picture and its historical meaning I couldn’t help but include it. It’s called “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and it’s by Australian artist John Forrest. As you can see it’s a stunning and thought-provoking piece of art, melding environmentalism, popular culture and reaching into our past as well as provoking questions about our future. And it is explicitly about global warming—the biggest and most dire problem facing Earth today, and probably the most dire problem humanity has ever faced.

The picture is pretty straightforward. Dorothy, depicted as she was in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, stands on the Yellow Brick Road, seemingly bewildered by a hazy, smog-choked, overheated urban landscape that is obviously intended to resemble Los Angeles. There’s no Emerald City, no magical creatures, “no place like home,” and we can’t see where the road is going. There’s only the grim reality of climate catastrophe. But note Dorothy is looking not at the disaster, but ahead, possibly to a brighter future. To me this suggests a glimmer of hope.

As you know, I write a lot about human-caused global warming on this blog (some of my articles about it from last year include this one and this one). I have no time or patience for the deranged and deluded deniers who have somehow wished away the world’s biggest problem out of ideological pique or because some bimbo on Fox News told them it was fake, despite insurmountable mountains of scientific and historical evidence of its reality, its severity and its ongoing impacts. We must face it. Global warming is a problem so big that it may single-handedly end our history. Certainly I hope it won’t, and even at this late date, as hard-core deniers and fossil fuel interests are ascendant in political power in the United States and other countries, I believe we will ultimately have no choice but to address it. This painting captures, I think, a hint of that inevitability. Dorothy can turn her back on the problem and look to a brighter future, but she’s still surrounded by it no matter what she does. What we know of her as a character suggests she will—eventually—do the right thing.

“Somewhere Over The Rainbow” was exhibited in January and February 2012 at the Metro Modern Art Gallery in Victoria, Australia, in a special exhibition showcasing art about the climate crisis. Since the exhibition the painting was sold for $25,000 Australian dollars and is presumably now in a private collection.

The Value Proposition

Why should you be reading this blog, or receiving it as a newsletter? This is why.

☕ If you appreciate what I do, buy me a virtual coffee from time-to-time to support my work. I know it seems small, but it truly helps.

📖 You could also buy my newest book.

🎓 Like learning? Find out what courses I’m currently offering at my website.

📽 More the visual type? Here is my YouTube channel with tons of free history videos.