Life in the Cylinder

作品賞析

Artist Huang Yen-Hsun used his experience raising amphibians to create the science fiction-themed Life in Cylinders. In this painting, two giant salamanders are placed in a giant cylindrical aquarium, where they are being raised in an entirely artificial environment. The two small human figures in the lower right show the immense scale of these salamanders. There is the implication that when human beings interfere too much with the laws of nature, they will eventually lead to an out-of-control future. In addition, the indistinctly visible skeletal remains of large creatures half-buried in the dirt contrast with the living, bright green salamanders, hinting at human desire to manipulate nature in pursuit of immortality. The amphibians may be better able to adapt to extreme environments, but their fate is controlled by the tiny humans. Huang Yen-Hsun uses science fiction themes to remind viewers that if human beings continue in their arrogant behaviors, nature will eventually counterattack in the most ruthless way.