The Little Things That Count

moderneden:

“Brother and Sister” by Ahren Hertel

24 x 24 inches, Oil on Canvas

“Brother and Sister” is inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s Brüderchen und Schwesterchen.

Ahren Hertel was born in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1979. His father’s job as a geologist moved the family around for most of Ahren’s childhood, including nine years spent in South America. Ahren received his BFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2002. After graduating, he moved to Reno, Nevada with two friends to open an art gallery. He later received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Reno where he now teaches painting and drawing as an adjunct professor.

Ahren Hertel’s work addresses the tension between civilization and the natural world. He depicts moments of interaction between man and nature where nature is just as much an invader of the civilized world as man is on the natural world. The relationship between the two fluctuates: often symbiotic and at other times manipulative. The narrative that plays out is that of the antagonist and protagonist. Nature never alters its stance, while mankind attempts to correct itself by creating new methods meant to repair the wrongs of those that came before. Nature’s role is to survive while man’s role is to find out how to survive with nature.