This untitled work by Ana Mendieta seems to me to be a clear commentary on human's relationship with the land and the environment. Firstly, the photo's lack of bright colors conveys to me that the work was created during the fall or winter, a somewhat bleak time in terms of the outdoors (especially in New England!). Mendieta also chose the location for this work to be on an eroded hillside, an unstable, shifting location. The contour of the human form carved into the dirt of the hillside seems to me to be almost a territorial mark or a sign. Although it is a small, simple line, it carries a weighty message.
Erosion, a natural process, has been drastically increased worldwide due to human activities - changes in agricultural practices, changes in river flow, etc. Although Mendieta's choices in this piece certainly don't convey the most optimistic of messages, I think this piece successfully raises important issues for people to see and think about (and hopefully do something about in the future).
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