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Physics, Through the Looking Glass

John Anthony Murphy

He/him

In the 1840s, JMW Turner painted 'Snow Storm' depicting, with swirling brush strokes, the new understanding of the Earth’s magnetic field. At the same time, Nicholas Callan was inventing ingenious electromagnetic machines at Maynooth College. Inspired by this history and a career in physics, my art work focuses on the lived experience of scientific discovery viewed through the lens of contemporary practice. As the site of research and experimentation, the laboratory of the inventive scientist parallels the studio of the creative artist.
Using reflection and refraction, like Alice from 'Through the Looking Glass', I explore the ambiguous world of the looking glass to portray in a figurative style the research endeavour expressed by old laboratory instruments. By utilising imaging in my acrylic paintings, I also reference Euclid, the next European Space Agency mission to observe the natural lensing effect of gravity produced by Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the cosmos.

Reflections in Foil. Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 76cm

Reflections in Foil. Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 76cm

Chipped Prism. Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 80cm

Chipped Prism. Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 80cm

Lenses in Conversation. Acrylic on canvas, 51 x 76cm

Lenses in Conversation. Acrylic on canvas, 51 x 76cm

Granary Building Roof. Acrylic on canvas, 50 x 60cm

Granary Building Roof. Acrylic on canvas, 50 x 60cm

Still Life with Pyramid Horns. Acrylic on canvas, 51 x 61cm

Still Life with Pyramid Horns. Acrylic on canvas, 51 x 61cm

Pyramids ad Infinitum. Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 76cm

Pyramids ad Infinitum. Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 76cm

Prisms and Lenses. Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 76cm

Prisms and Lenses. Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 76cm

Old Laboratory Instruments. Acrylic on paper, 60 x 84cm

Old Laboratory Instruments. Acrylic on paper, 60 x 84cm

Monoprint – Old Lab Instruments. Ink on paper, 42 x 59cm

Monoprint – Old Lab Instruments. Ink on paper, 42 x 59cm

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