The Tomb of the Giants in the Fourth Dimension

About the Work

References and inspiration

The year is 1915. Albert Einstein’s  General Theory of Relativity turns the world and science upside down.

He adds a new dimension to the three canonical Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z = height, width, depth): spacetime (t).
This is the birth of the Fourth Dimension in physics.

I am fascinated by the myriad of applications, implications, and conjectures that this entails: just as we can move on the lines of the three spatial dimensions, we could (as matter) move on the line of spacetime (to put it simply).

Some artists have tried to interpret this concept: Pablo Picasso and the Cubists by representing the world in its simultaneous presence of multiple points of view, a simultaneous space-time vision; or Salvador Dalí with “Corpus Hypercubus“, to name but the most authoritative.

The Tombs of the Giants (Tumbas de sos Mannos) are monuments reused as collective tombs in the Nuragic age, present throughout Sardinia. They are megalithic complexes from the Bronze Age (1800-1100 BC). In particular, the one of “Coddu Veccju” is a source of inspiration for this painting.

Description of “The Tomb of the Giants in the Fourth Dimension”

The protagonists of my vision are the Giants of Gallura in Sardinia, ancient guardians of a magical territory. Through the path that is reflected in the faces of a vitreous Platonic dodecahedron (the Universe), they travel on the currents of the Fourth Dimension (Spacetime) to reach us.
On the transparent faces, but also reflecting inside, the ages of humanity travel through time, passing from birth to death to rebirth, repeating themselves several times in a circular motion.

The painting is read from left to right, starting from the giant’s gigantic facial mask, continuing to the Nuragic Dolmen (death) from which the female figure emerges (rebirth or spirit of ancient civilizations) to end with the fetal figure on the right (birth).

In the center, the contemporary observer of this temporal and philosophical journey admires the granite monolith of the “Tumbas de sos Mannos“, placing ourselves inside the painting through his eyes.

It is one of my most complex paintings, both in composition and technique, but especially in concept. It is the result of my research on the myths, stories and archaeological sites of northern Sardinia, in the splendid Gallura area of Arzachena, but also on my passion for physics and astronomy.

Additional Information

The painting is a part of a series of works that explore the relationship between art and science. The artist is particularly interested in the concept of the fourth dimension and its implications for our understanding of the universe.

The painting is also a meditation on the passage of time and the cyclical nature of life. The figures in the painting represent the different stages of human life, from birth to death to rebirth. The artist suggests that time is not linear, but rather a continuous loop.

The painting is a complex and thought-provoking work of art that invites viewers to contemplate the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life.

Technique