Nicholas Giddings- The Environmental Humanities Artistic Expression of Pablo Amaringo

Preface

My name is Nicholas Giddings my paper is titled “The Environmental Humanities Artistic Expression of Pablo Amaringo. The creative commons license that I am using is a CC BY 4.0.

Introduction

I am doing my paper on the artist, Pablo Amaringo who is a Peruvian environmental artist. Amaringo was able to connect humans with nature in his paintings, in a way no other artist has done before him. He mixed spirituality with his love for the environment and the product created beautiful imagery.

Theme

The main theme that spans through all of Amaringos work is the idea that humans are one with nature, almost as if everything in the natural world is apart of a family that is connected in some way. You are able to see this in the painting below where Amaringo paints in such a way that there is a flow between human and plant, where at some points they combine into one singular entity. Amaringo is trying to express to his audience that humans should let go of their feelings of superiority when it comes to nature because in his mind, they are one in the same. He expresses feelings of peace-fullness and connectivity, saying that once we are in the state of mind that he is, we will find peace within.

Another theme expressed by Amaringo is that everything on earth is being watched over and protected by a higher being. Through a drug called ayahuasca, Amaringo took “trips” into what he called the spirit realm. It is here where he began feeling a connection to higher beings that through the art work, he showed that they watch over Earth. His paintings that include these god like figures are calming and show the audience that no matter what hardship they are going through, there is always someone watching over them and protecting them. Amaringo wanted this “god” to connect people and unite them as he believed in humans rudimentary form they are already connected.

Analysis

In his younger years Pablo Amaringo had multiple heart conditions that left him extremely ill. Eventually he decided to go to a local Shaman for treatment, and Amaringo claimed that his new well being was due to the shaman. During this process he learned a lot of healing techniques himself, most coming from natural plant remedies in the area. In this time period Amaringo began painting, first with very rudimentary items, then eventually with more advanced paints and oils. He also was practicing being a traditional healer in that time, he travelled around his region and began taking a substance called Ayahuasca in order to “find the answers to life and healing”. After about seven years he quit his attempt at being a shaman saying that “Ayahuasca is not something to play. It can even kill, not because it is toxic in itself, but because the body may not be able to withstand the spiritual realm, the vibrations of the spiritual world”

However, while he was taking this drug, he had extraordinary visions which he portrayed in his artwork. He took these elaborate visions and created an impactful display that the general audience could experience. This is why his paintings appear to be so other worldly, like something no person has seen before. This is represented in the picture above, the painting shoes humans interacting with people as well as mythical beasts, and with nature. It is a visual representations of his hallucinations form taking Ayahuasca. He connects multiple spiritual worlds that he experienced and brings them together so that the audience can learn something.

Application

Pablo Armingo lives in an area that participates in the destruction and removal of nature. In that area of South America there is a large amount of deforestation and negative actions done onto the natural lands. This has resulted in a large amount of Armingos work. In his work he shows that in order for the world to be at the best state it can be humans need to be one with nature and treat it as though it is apart of their family. He believes that any destruction of nature is a destruction to Earths family. You can also tell by his work that Armingo believes in a higher being and promotes others to find the enlightenment that he has found himself.