On Top of the World

"On Top of the World" shows the renewal and regeneration of life. On the barren surface of a dessicated world, Victor depicts a forest of leafless trees which have had all of their branches cut off. On this dry plain, men study a globe, whose bleak colors seem to reflect the lifeless surface on which it is positioned.

At the lower right corner of the painting, a man is shown peeling back this cracked surface, to reveal a verdant jungle beneath. We see that the dried surface has peeled back to reveal a rainforest, in the shape of the Hawaiian island chain, the Big Island at the lower right corner, and Maui at the upper right. The top of the globe reflects some green from the exposed rainforest areas, representing the message of hope and renewal that the islands of Hawaii give to the world.