Jerald Brainin

Artist Statement

The universe is an ever-evolving system of intersecting patterns, all of which can be described mathematically, and which describe the structure of subatomic particles, atoms, molecules, people, planets, and galaxies.

Pythagoras intuited this in 1623 when he likened patterns in nature with the harmonies of music arising from numbers, which he understood to be the basic constituents of existence. Similarly, Galileo understood the universe to be “written in mathematical language… the letters are triangles, circles, and other geometrical figures, without which… it is humanly impossible to comprehend a single word.” Geometry imagery has been used by many diverse cultures over tens of thousands of years.

Paintings are not merely visual impressions of shape, color and light; they are material objects in space. We see them not with our eyes, but with our brains. Perception is an active, constructive process generated by the brain. Art is therefore a reflection of the artist’s total being. It is “the shining forth of one's interiority” (Mu Xin). It invites viewers to explore their own thoughts and feelings; a process that is necessarily subjective, interior, neurological, and biological. As such, perception is an act of creation by both the artist and viewer. This active engagement and contemplation by both parties makes art possible and meaningful.

My art registers the measured voice of one individual within the pantheon of composers who, over thousands of years, have used geometric imagery to express their embodied consciousness on the planet at unique moments in space and time.

Jerald Brainin

October 2020

www.jeraldbraininstudio.com