Reflection of the Past

Cat, Year 10

  • Painting
  • Oil
  • A2 landscape

This work is inspired from my mother's trip to Chernobyl, which has had personal significance to my family. As I am not 18, I was not allowed to go, however asked my mum to take photos of anything that reminded her of her childhood. One of the photos was of a sunken house by a lake in Pripyat, with the beautiful autumn trees behind. I found this image moving as it had the feeling of nature having permanence compared to humankind, as the trees continued to thrive as the building sunk lower into decay. I wanted to make the colours brighter, as with all the vibrance around, it felt lacking to not do so.