In order for one to understand the corresponding painting, one first has to understand the Particle-Wave Duality Theory of an electron. In a double slit experiment¹, physicists observed that when an electron was not being watched, it behaved like a wave that made an interference pattern when passed through two slits. However, when the electron was being observed, it behaved like a particle that went straight through without any interference.

The quantum theory states that electrons can exist only at specific energy levels and not in between. In the painting, the electrons are on the lane lines to show that the electrons can only be on those specific energy levels in accordance with the quantum theory. The two suns represent the observer and the lack of. There are two captions coming from the same electron, denoting that it will split into two when it approaches the fork in the road. The side where the sun is not looking, the electron will behave like a wave, and on the other side where the sun is looking, the electron will behave like a particle. In the caption “no one’s watching…” the electron observes that no one is watching and therefore he can go ahead and act like a wave. In the second caption, the electron observes an onlooker i.e. the sun watching, thus it behaves like a particle and making two lines. Down the wave path, there are four buildings corresponding to the wave interference pattern, and down the particle path there are just two buildings corresponding to the particle behaviour.

What I as an artist am trying to convey to the observer via this painting, is essentially the behaviour shown by the electrons in the double slit experiment. However, there are added ideas as well as a cartoonish quality portrayed in the painting such as; the electrons being allowed only on the lane lines, showing their quantized property in accordance with the Quantum Theory, and the painting being drawn in a cartoonish way together with the colours of paint used. This artwork, to me, somehow manages to express more than words can depict, therefore, let your mind go wild and see what else you can discover…

¹For more info refer to the YouTube video “Dr Quantum- Double Slit Experiment”