The following acrylic painting is a visual timeline of the different scientific cosmologies throughout the ages, with a particular emphasis on Max Planck's theory on light and quantized energy. The two characters, Infra-Romeo and Ultra-Juliet, represent opposite ends of the spectrum of light (i.e. Infrared and ultraviolet) and concurrently the spectrum of different ideologies within science or natural philosophy, where Ultra-Juliet incarnates the past era of science while Infra-Romeo embodies the ideologies of the past century up until now.
In our contemporary understanding of the science of electromagnetic phenomena, white light contains the full gradient of visible colors to the human eye from red to violet. However, when observing the light emitted through most substances, only a few spectra of light are visible to the human eye. A given chemical compound cannot produce a certain color unless the frequency of its radiation has the exact amount of energy necessary to emit it.[j1] In other words, the energy in this process is quantized. This phenomenon is often compared to climbing a staircase. If a person's foot falls anywhere short of the next step, it will end up on the initial step. In the same way, there are only a few "levels" where specific colors can be seen through the proper provision of energy.
Ultra-Juliet, who stands for the earliest era of scientific beliefs, is dressed in an archaic robe as she pleads Infra-Romeo to visit her on her balcony, which represents her level of energy, because she is still thinking in terms of a wide gradient of light and energy. Infra-Romeo, who is dressed in a modern attire, explains to her that he does not have enough energy to propel him to her level because he is thinking in terms of "steps".
Concurrently, the elements that surround the couple are symbolic of their current scientific cosmology. The sky ranges from a deep blue that depicts space, where Ultra-Juliet stands, to a lime green that surrounds Infra-Romeo on the ground. The different shades of blue in the top sky are blended into one another using acrylic paint and an additive that increases the time it takes for the paint to try. There are silver stars spread out around the black tower, but there is also a specific trail of silver dots that seems to delineate back on itself before moving forward, away from Ultra-Juliet. This trail of circles symbolizes the trajectory of planets according to the ancient Ptolemaic Model, revealing the cosmology of the past. According to this ancient model, natural philosophers theorized that the Earth was at the center of the Universe, and that surrounding planets like Mercury and Mars had epicenters that caused them to revolve on their own trajectories, while circling the Earth, leading to the "back and forth" movement created by their paths, as observed by humans. As this trail of dots leads away from Ultra-Juliet and further downwards, it begins to curved into a circular orbit, revealing the Heliocentric cosmology of Copernicus. As the sky descends from blue to green, its colors begin to stand out in strands next to Infra-Romeo. These separate colors convey modern understanding of quantized energy as being separate levels.
In between the two characters, there is an apple tree with a man sitting underneath it, who embodies Isaac Newton's character. Newton allegedly understood gravitational force when an apple fell on his head. This part of the painting conveys classic Newtonian cosmology. Since this concept of gravity is relatively modern, he is nearby Infra-Romeo. However, in Newton's understanding, time and space are still independent factors that are not distorted by objects in the living world, which is why the apples that surround his character are laying flatly on the ground. When the trail of fruits approaches Infra-Romeo, there is an apple that seems to create a dent in the ground. This apple evokes Einstein's discovery that objects actually shape the space that surrounds them, thus creating curvatures in space.
Over all, this piece reflects on different cosmologies throughout the ages with a particular emphasis on light and quantized energy. It symbolizes the extensive progress that humanity has made through its scientific pursuits, and leaves the door open for a new legacy of discoveries.



