Tragedy of the Aral Sea

Description

Author: Nakisbekov, Anarbek. 1951
A genre composition devoted to the ecological catastrophe of the Aral Sea. A desolate shore is depicted; in the foreground are two boys: one lies on the ground, while the other, holding a bucket, stands on the right with his back to the viewer. In the background on the left are a motorboat and three men by a wooden structure; on the right, beside a smoking fire, is the figure of a woman. In the far distance lie a narrow strip of sea and the carcass of a ship left stranded on the exposed seabed. The colour scheme is built on the dull brownish-ochre tones of the parched earth, contrasting with the cold strip of water and the warm light of the evening sky, which heightens the sense of desolation and unease.