That painting will last until a star light years away explodes into a supernova, sending gamma rays towards Earth. This is if the Earth isn't first swallowed by the Sun when it goes into its next phase as a red giant (contrary to popular belief, the sun will not explode into a supernova, it isn't powerful enough). of course, this too is if we aren't struck by a meteor the size of Canada. Even if mankind doesn't nuke itself to death, there is always the threat of a supervolcano going off. I'm not even talking about just a small earthquake that sends California into the ocean, creating Arizona Bay. I mean worldwide devastation.
There are millions of ways the Earth can end at any second, which is why the Monks who create works of art by blowing sand have the right idea. They know that the next great threat is around the corner, so why bother being naive enough to believe that their artwork will be their legacy. So, they just sweep it up after everybody takes their pictures, thinking they've captured the moment for eternity. When in reality, once the Earth's core stops spinning and the magnetic field stops deadly rays from destroying, that picture and the person who captured it will be fried (ok I admit I stole that from the terrible movie, "the Core," but so far everything else has been scientifically accurate.) Or in a couple thousand years we could collide into Venus, which IS a possibility.
Nothing lasts forever. Even Jupiter's red spot is getting smaller after all. There was no real point to this story, except I just saw the History channel's 3 hour special on the 7 signs of the apocalypse explained scientifically, while I was trying to create a clever graphic. Which explains why I mixed art with the Earth's total annihilation.
