Thanks to @ace108 for suggesting the painting by Vladimir Kush for this week's artchallenge hosted by @aksinya. The entries for the previous challenges have been very creative and interesting. The wonderful thing about surrealist art is the fact that it can be open to various interpretations. Here is mine:
What do you treasure beyond all else?
The people who are holding the tarp-like blue cloth that resembles the sea are all very skinny, almost sketetal. They seem to be so concerned about the whale that they have no regard for their own personal health. Their eyes are so fixated on worshipping the giant majestic whale, keeping it lifted up high in the sky that they are oblivious to the other sea creatures around them who have died because of the lack of water. The small deceased creatures could be a foreshadowing of what's to come for the men who are probably starving but can't seem to let go of the cloth.
I think the painting is a warning against the myopic thinking of contemporary society that worships transient things like money, worldy posessions, power, and so on. If one is so determined to put all their energy and effort in worshipping the giant "whale" in his or her life, not realising that what goes up must come down, the ultimate result will be an unfortunate one. Other precious things around them, such as family and friends, represented by the once beautiful and colorful starfish and seashells, will be lost due to neglect. The Bible says "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6: 19-21)