The face of Albert Einstein has become one that has that been integrated into the cultural lexicon. Associated with the notion of 'genius' and scientific achievement, it goes without saying that recognition of Einstein's accomplishments has far been surpassed by the image he now represents. When asked how he had come to discover his theory of Relativity, Einstein described it as 'imagining what God was thinking when creating the universe,' and the goal of this piece was to demonstrate that point. I wanted to translate this by painting a traditional portrait and add to it with symbols to create a story, thus infusing both traditional and modern ideas of painting.

Firstly is the portrait itself. The portrait is painted in a conventional style, notably in grey tones. Both the traditional style and black-and-white colors introduce the idea of the scientific canon. There is a call-back to the Newtonian era of physics, to the definitive sciences, to which fact and certainty seemed to go hand in hand. The concept of duality first comes through with the black-and-white color scheme. It seems to counteract with the image of Einstein, who should represent the break from tradition. However one realizes that Einstein's own knowledge up until his discovery is fundamentally built upon this traditional science. He is a product of an education built upon the great scientists of the past.

But then we take a look at his body, as it slowly morphs from the black and white into the colorful space. The separation between the definitive body and the vast perspective-less space is blurred. Around his eye is a symbol of a triangle, which represents the 'Holy Trinity'. The lens of 'viewing as God would have seen it' is a catalyst for the transformation of the Traditional form. Integrating science and religion breaks past another duality, as man is now more powerful than God, for he is able to understand what God is thinking.

All of this demonstrates the nature of quantum as we learned in class - a novel idea that completely changed the cultural framework of how the world works. An idea that questioned if the laws that we have associated with one level of matter do not necessarily prove universal. We are built upon pillars of what the masters of the past have discovered, and it is up to innovative thinkers to build upon these ideas to create and break past boundaries that we have set up for ourselves.