by Laura Bernardeschi Nelson

Artwork Description

The Silen Drowning

50.0 x 70.0 cm

The Silent Drowning By Laura Bernardeschi Nelson Acrylic and found objects on stretched canvas – 70 × 50 cm Includes symbolic netting, metal can, batteries, and assorted plastics Varnished and signed front and back – ready to hang Description: The Silent Drowning is a haunting reflection on the human impact on our oceans — a symbolic narrative of suffocation and survival. In this mixed-media piece, layers of acrylic paint evoke the vibrant yet troubled depths of the sea. The surface is interwoven with a black net, not as a literal fishing tool but as a powerful symbol of entrapment — representing how nature itself has become caught in the web of human consumption. Trapped within the net are fragments of modern life: a crushed can, spent batteries, and pieces of plastic, all remnants of a disposable culture. The black tones spreading across the composition suggest the presence of oil — a metaphor for contamination, greed, and the slow poisoning of marine life. Against the rich blue background, these elements form a striking contrast between beauty and decay, vitality and extinction. This artwork is part of Laura Bernardeschi Nelson’s ongoing Climate Change Collection, a series that merges found materials and acrylic textures to explore the fragile bond between humans and the environment. Each work becomes both a statement and a memorial — a reminder of what is being lost beneath the surface. The Silent Drowning calls on the viewer to look beyond colour and texture, to confront the reality of pollution and to sense the quiet anguish of the oceans that once sustained us.

Artwork Details

Medium: Mixed Media

Genre: Figurative