Chester Arnold

Chester Arnold was born in Santa Monica, California but spent most of his developmental years living in Munich, Germany.  It was then that he found great inspiration from the artist Max Beckmann when he viewed Beckmann’s artwork in a gallery in Munich.  Later, Arnold returned to California and enrolled as an art student in the College of Marin in Kentfield, California.  From there he went on to study for his Master’s Degree at the San Francisco Art Institute.  He has now been creating his works of art for over three decades from his home in Sonoma, California.

Today, Chester Arnold’s work has a strong focus on environmental and social decay as well as the impact of industrial production, consumption and waste.  When I viewed his exhibit “On Earth as It Is in Heaven” in the Nevada Museum of Art, I could see a large influence from the high amounts of paper product and waste that is created by our society every day. 

One painting in particular captured my attention.  The work The Fate of the Written Word is an oil on canvas depiction of an old and crumbling road lined by trees and grass.  Across this old country road is mass amounts of paper litter amongst other odds and ends of discarded garbage.  As expressed by the title of the work, the paper littering the road is the main subject matter.  The paper litter consists of books, magazines, news papers, letters, notebooks and even a cardboard tube containing what appears to be a blue print.  All of these items were apparently left behind and forgotten to eventually begin their decaying process back into the earth. 

When I consider this painting I automatically think of how much technology has progressed.  Will this really be the fate of the written word?   To be tossed aside and no longer needed?  It is foreseeable in the future.  Written letters have been replaced with email.  Encyclopedias and other resources are now available and easily accessible online.  Now, also, with a newer gadget called Nook, books are soon to become obsolete as well.  When you see Chester Arnold’s paintings you can think about how this may not be such a bad thing.  If all literature becomes electronic, imagine the conservational effects on our forests.  I myself feel a touch of sadness at the thought, though.  The novelty itself of opening a book, the structured layout and the cover art among other things could never be replaced by an electronic device. 

After viewing “On Earth as It Is in Heaven” I walk away with both feelings of guilt and hope.  Guilt for the effect that mankind has on the Earth and for the knowledge that I myself play my part.  I also hope, though, that more and more people will not only create awareness as Chester Arnold has, but will also take the brave steps required to change the lives to which they have become accustomed in order to procure a beautiful and vibrant future. 

(Note: Information for this blog on Chester Arnold found at the Nevada Museum Art and on the Catherine Clark Gallery website.  For a gallery view of Chester Arnolds work, visit his home page.)