Depictions of Disasters

Théodore Géricault, The Raft of Medusa, 1818-19 via Wikipedia

Disasters, both man-made and natural, surround us. The world seems to be in a constant rage. With so much disaster flashing across our screens, it's easy to become desensitized to the suffering of others. Empathy is paramount to human life, and art can aid in shaking away desensitized minds to better understand the suffering that has occurred and continues to occur around us. Depictions of disasters are visually and emotionally impactful. These works can expand viewers' empathy while offering healing to victims of these horrible events.

Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii in 79 CE, but the volcano began erupting again in the 1760s. Artist William Marlow happened to be present during this eruption. This work depicts the volcano actively erupting. Dark, smoky clouds fill the sky, and everything is cast in a reddish color from the spouting and flowing lava. When Marlow exhibited this work in 1768, a viewer of the work said, “While we look with pleasure on its beauties, we cannot help getting into the belief that we are indeed on the spot, and really beholding an eruption of that terrible volcano.” Vesuvius has been depicted by many other artists, including Pierre Jacques Volaries, Gioacchino Toma, and Johan Christian Dahl. The volcano has erupted more than 50 times since 79 CE and is estimated to have claimed around 16,000 souls. 

This series includes more than 5,000 drawings created by survivors of the atomic bomb. Survivors of this horrific event wanted to document their experiences while also warning future generations of the devastation caused by nuclear warfare. The works were collected and are held at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. While many, if not all, of these survivors were not artistically trained, these drawings are powerful and raw. These first-hand depictions are harrowing to look at. Examples include Akria Onogi ’s work depicting a woman pinned under a pillar while a second woman pleads with a neighbor to help her remove the pillar. Mitsuko Taguchi shares a haunting scene of a dead mother who had fallen trying to outrun flames. Her child still under her body, Taguchi said the woman's eyes were wide open and her hair was standing on end. Sueko Sumimoto's work shows a mother standing on a bridge screaming the name of her child while bodies of dead students floated down the river below her.

Patrick Witty was living in New York when 9/11 occurred. He remembers being awoken by a scream, after which a friend called him and told him to look outside. Witty grabbed his camera and ran to the roof. He saw that a second plane had just hit the towers. He snapped one photo before running down to the street. Witty shared his experience, saying, “I was about two blocks away from the towers, looking upwards, watching what seemed to be paper, debris, falling to the ground. There were loud bangs, like car crashes. It was the sound of bodies hitting the ground. I couldn’t bear to look at the towers any longer, I turned and saw a crowd of shocked faces looking upwards.” The shock, horror, and raw emotion on these people’s faces is palpable. In 2013, the people in the photograph were identified, and many of them were able to share their experiences of the day.

Straight was created in response to the Sichuan earthquake. This earthquake killed 90,000 people, including 5,000 children. While earthquakes are a force of nature, the city of Sichuan was built on seismic fault lines, and many of its buildings were poorly constructed. Many felt the government and construction companies involved were corrupt and ignored the danger of building in this area. Ai Weiwei went to the disaster site and collected 90 steel rods straightened by hand and shaped to resemble the fault line under Sichuan. Ai Weiwei believed the Chinese government should have done a better job constructing the schools due to their location. This work acts as a memorial to those who died as well as lays blame on the Chinese government for the deaths of these people. Straight also aided in shedding more light on this disaster as the Chinese government worked to suppress criticism and silence any voices of dissent from its citizens and media. Ai Weiwei was beaten and detained for several days in prison because of this work.

Art can inspire empathy, but action is how we make a real difference. The devastating California wildfires and Hurricane Helene in North Carolina have left countless people needing help. You can support relief efforts by donating to BStrong, which provides emergency aid to disaster victims. BStrong works on the ground to deliver critical supplies, financial assistance, and resources to those affected by natural disasters. Your contribution can help families rebuild their lives and find hope in the face of devastation. Donate today at BStrong’s website and make a meaningful impact. Together, we can help communities recover and heal.

There are many different methods and mediums that artists have employed to depict disasters, from literal depictions to works created by survivors. Each depiction offers an insight into the horrors suffered by the victims of these events. Artists worldwide use their creative practice to bring to light the disasters surrounding them. 

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