Title: Solar supremacy!
Year: 2021
Size: 1000mm × 810mm (F40)
Media: Oil on canvas
Description:
“The Sun is the giver of life” – Ramses II
Mankind owes its very existence to the Sun, “our” sun, the centre of our universe.
Throughout history, humans have been inspired by the Sun – believing it to have divine powers, the ability to heal sickness, and potentially to provide a clean and lasting source of power.
Ancient people such as the Greeks and Egyptians did not always know that the earth rotates and revolves as it moves through space. They believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe and that the Sun, stars, and planets revolve around it. Polish scientist Nicolaus Copernicus was the first to suggest in 1532 that in fact, the planets orbited the Sun.
Among Indo-European peoples, the Sun was seen as a symbol of divine power and was glorified as an all-seeing god revered in many different forms.
In the 1880s scientists discovered that “heliotherapy” could cure disease by killing bacteria.
Facing the challenge of carbon dioxide-induced global warming, solar power has increasingly become a source of so-called clean energy.
Most recently, nuclear fusion, the process by which atoms are fused together deep inside the Sun generating enormous amounts of energy, is seen as a potential move towards a carbon-free future.
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow it would seem the Sun is our absolute master?
