Antonioni's Images of the Planet in the Anthropocene (original) (raw)

Contemporary visual cultures, particularly the entertainment industry, often depict apocalyptic scenarios that reflect a denial of the irreversible nature of the Anthropocene. This work argues that such representations obscure the autonomy of the Earth from human existence, failing to recognize the unequal responsibilities for environmental degradation. In contrast, Michelangelo Antonioni's films from the 1960s and 1970s offer a critical perspective on anthropocentrism, using the desert as a motif to illustrate the planet's indifference to humanity and to suggest a shift towards an awareness of humanity's precarious place in a changing world. By making familiar experiences seem strange, Antonioni’s cinema reveals the underlying crisis of the Anthropocene and invites reflection on coexistence within it.