Since the beginning of science, people have always believed that science and art were two different entities; that one could not intertwine with the other. Science was seen as being structured and ordered, but art was different. Art was seen as being chaotic and unorganized[j1]. Ideas in both of these domains began to overlap and people began seeing a correlation amongst the two. My artwork demonstrates this. It incorporates not only a scientific structure with the idea of a chemistry set, but is done through an artistic manner that excites the curiosity in all of us.
Upon first glance, my artwork demonstrates a simple chemistry set with different scientific innovations and ideas depicted within each model of equipment. When we take a closer look, we could see that each major idea are not just painted into the chemistry set, but work with the set and flow into one piece instead of two separate ones. The painting begins with a machine that has four different options. These options are Aristotle’s four elements: fire, earth, water, and air. It was believed that these elements made up all the matter of the universe. Aristotle believed in there being a fifth element, ether, because he couldn’t accept that the stars where created from earth-like substances. The knob on the machine is pointing to the fire option and a fire is produced on top. This fire is used to heat the cartoon-like beaker on top.
As many people are aware of, Einstein came up with the theory E=mc2. Before this theory was introduced, people believed that mass and energy were two different entities and that they worked separate from one another. When Einstein began looking into this, he assumed that the speed of light was constant and that it would always remain so. Putting all his mathematics and findings together, he came up with the theory that energy is in fact equal to mass and multiplied by the speed of light, thus E=mc2. This is depicted in the artwork with the liquid in the beaker containing Einstein’s theory that travels through the twisted tubes and ends in the beaker next to it where the water is now energized[j2]. This shows the evolution of relativity.
My artwork then proceeds with another set of chemistry tubes, but this time, is illustrated to appear like the electromagnetic waves with the light spectrum shown on the inside. The electromagnetic waves, studied by James Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz, are composed of electric and magnetic fields which are perpendicular to one another. I chose to depict the light spectrum (or electromagnetic spectrum) within it because they demonstrate wavelengths and how anything past ultraviolet rays and infrared rays are not visible. The order that it was painted was done so for the purpose of having the colors flow nicely within one another. Because the wave starts at the bottom of the previous beaker with light blue water, it would make sense that the spectrum should begin with the light violet color and then transition into the darker color.
The next set of scientific equipment consists of circular balls, each exemplifying the three major innovations of the universe that has shaped society. The first circle, starting from the top and the end of the wave, demonstrates Aristotle’s cosmology. In around 350 BC, people had a hard time understanding how the world worked and how it was positioned. Aristotle, a mathematician and astrologer, believed to have solved this problem with the geocentric model of the universe which explains that the earth is in the center of the universe and all the planets orbit around it. The first circle demonstrates this. Here, the earth is in the center, followed by the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupitar, and Saturn all of which is surrounded by stars. Around 1543, Copernicus rebutted Aristotle’s model and made the assertion that the universe follows the heliocentric model where the sun is at the center of the universe and the planets orbit around it. This is seen in the second circle of my artwork. The third circle demonstrates Einstein’s view of the galaxy and how he believed that everything was a mixture of all the planets and stars. Here, I decided to incorporate sparkles to demonstrate that even if we don’t see the stars, they’re always there.
From the three cosmologies, follows the beaker of various tints of blue and green bubbles. Out of the beaker comes out three giant bubbles, each illustrating the earth, however, the third bubble is popped. This shows that over the years, there has been different conceptions of the world and how it came to be and as the years progress, we reject old ideas and introduce new ones. This just goes to show that we are always going to have new perspectives of the world and every time a new thought comes, the former is rejected. The background for my artwork was done with yellow water paint. I chose to do this color because it shows enlightenment and this is exactly what I have achieved this semester.