Portrait Of Dorian Grey by Andree Hansen Wibowo

Media Art Nexus 2019

The

PHYSICS of Dorian Gray Andree Hansen Wibowo

Media Art Nexus 2019

The

PHYSICS of Dorian Gray Andree Hansen Wibowo

Media Art Nexus · 2019

BRIEF OVERVIEW T

he Physics of Dorian Gray proposes to be a representational visualisation of quantum theory’s “Spooky Action at a Distance,” using Oscar Wilde’s classic literature work, The Picture of Dorian Gray as inspiration.

A story about a young man whose portrait ages for every sins he commits in life, it is surprising how many aspects of quantum theory can be linked to the story’s logic and events that transpire in the narrative.

Perhaps the most apparent connection is how the link between Dorian Gray and his ageing painting is a metaphor for quantum entanglement; particle pairs inexplicably and inseparably linked across time and space.

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Media Art Nexus · 2019

the physics of dorian gray

If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that—for that—I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give!

I would give my soul for that!

Dorian Gray and

QUANTUM PHYSICS

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D

espite being written in 1890, there are some peculiar links I observed between Wilde’s story and the quantum theory of “spooky action at a distance.” Below are some that I have observed: • Entangled Souls Early in the story, we are told how Dorian would give his soul to always be young and for the picture to grow old (left). This moment could be likened to the process of creating entangled particles.

• Spin When one particle has a clockwise spin, the other needs to have an anti-clockwise spin so that they cancel out and balance the system. This is analogous to the relationship between Dorian and his painting. When real-life Dorian undergo a life experience that blemishes his character, the painting reflects this with a deterioration in its physical appearance to ‘balance the system.’

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the physics of dorian gray

• State of Entanglement Being entangled entails that “the quantum states of [the two particles] have to be described with reference to each other…”

In simplistic terms, you could not describe one without the other. This is precisely what happened between real-life Dorian and the portrait.

Media Art Nexus · 2019

MOODBOARD

The concept of ‘Spooky Action at a Distance’ is also reflected here as the painting seems to supernaturally ‘know’ whenever its other ‘half’ (real-life Dorian) commits a sin — immediately deteriorating in physical appearance.

Of course, with such a complex concept like Quantum Theory, the analogy is really far from perfect and I am sure there are loopholes.

However, through all the aforementioned explanation, I personally believe that “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a satisfactory starting point to visually represent Quantum Theory’s “Spooky Action at a Distance” concept in a non-abstract representation.

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the physics of dorian gray

Media Art Nexus · 2019

The Self Portraits of

INGRES I

n his lifetime, French painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres had done two self portraits: one when he was 24, and another when he was 79. His self portraits are thus the perfect source material to create a painting that ages convincingly.

Self-portrait at age 24 (1804) Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres Collection of the Condé Museum.

Celebrated for his portraits, Ingres’ paintings are known for its details, firm, clear outlines with an almost, if not completely, invisible brushwork — well suited for the short viewing distance of the Media Art Nexus wall.

Self-portrait at age 79 (1859) Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres Collection of the Fogg Museum.

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the physics of dorian gray

Media Art Nexus ¡ 2019

Setting the

STAGE T

he next task is to arrange the image in the 3840 Ă— 480 ratio of the Media Nexus Wall. Inspired by the appearance of face cards, the figures are placed opposite each other with a white border behind.

The addition of the heart and flower is to symbolise the morality and mortality of Dorian Gray.

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the physics of dorian gray

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Digital Manipulation:

AGEING

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‘Ageing’ generally goes around a basic process as shown above: (1) Using facial features from Self Portrait at 79 and superimposing it on the base image. (2) Edges are masked away and integrated with the face using Healing Brush and Stamp tool. (3 – 4) Curves and Levels are then used to correct colour tone and lighting.

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the physics of dorian gray

Media Art Nexus · 2019

The image on the left shows how each features are grouped individually, so that I could control how strong I want the ageing effect to be for individual features of the face.

I also went ahead and ‘zombified’ Ingres for maximum visual impact.

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Media Art Nexus ¡ 2019

the physics of dorian gray

Animating

MOVING PICTURES

Shown below is the setting required to export a video file which supports transparency.

W

ithout a knowledge in AfterEffects, the only animation I did was to put the still images in sort of a slideshow, cross-fading each image with each other, creating the illusion of movement.

I then discovered that Photoshop allows users to render out videos, and more excitingly, it could also export in video formats that supports transparency. This technique was how I managed to add the moving red splotches throughout the image and also where the idea to create a typewriter effect spelling out phrases / quotes from the original story came from.

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the physics of dorian gray

Media Art Nexus · 2019

Acknowledgements All images used are available under Public Domain, CC BY 4.0 and / or any licence labeled for reuse with modification.

About the

ARTIST H

ello! My name is Andree and I am a 22-year-old undergraduate student from Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media. I’m an Indonesian who have been living and studying in Singapore since 2012. I major in Visual Communications and am skilled in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

Also experienced in photography and image processing and / or manipulation.

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Artworks Used: • Self-portrait at age 24 (1804) by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Collection of the Condé Museum.

• Self-portrait at age 79 (1859) by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Collection of the Fogg Museum.

• Portrait of a Bald Man with a Beard (c. late 1700) by an unknown Flanders painter. Collection of the National Museum in Warsaw.

• Vanitas with a Vase of Theriac (1627) by Sebastién Stoskopff. Private collection.

• Portrait de Madame Duvaucey (1807) by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Collection of the Condé Museum.

• El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (1756) by Miguel Cabrera. Collection of Museo Nacional del Virreinato, Tepotzotlán, Mexico.

• Peony II (2013) by Rob and Nick Carter after Rachel Ruysch’s Flowers in a Vase (c.1685) Music Used: • Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima (1960) by Krzysztof Penderecki

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