MICHAEL WHELAN

EMPIRE OF DREAMS (2005) by Michael Whelan

Acrylic on Gessoboard - 28" x 22"  

A world of concrete works in disarray, thrown about by some unknown cataclysm. The figure in the image realizes that safety lies not in hiding in darkness but in facing reality, seeking light, and acquiring knowledge. It is only with knowledge and the advantages of a greater perspective that one can hope to overcome obstacles.  

This personal work can be seen as the cover of ECLIPSE ONE, an anthology of new science fiction and fantasy stories, edited by Jonathan Strahan, Night Shade Books.

ORBIS SCIENTIARUM (1997) by Michael Whelan

Acrylic on Panel - 24" x 36"  

It is frequently assumed that if we try hard enough, there are no limits to our understanding of the universe. As wonderful a thing as the human brain is, there is a finite number of neurons and synapses available to store information and inform decisions, just as we have a certain set of perceptual tools at our disposal (sight, hearing, taste, etc.).  

For example, we have no foundation in which to understand the electromagnetic sense perceptions of certain aquatic animals, because we have no analogous organs of our own. So there are limits to everything human, and that includes intelligence and the ability to understand. We may be as incapable of a deep understanding of the universe as dogs are of algebra, but we’ll undoubtedly keep trying.

LE CHEMIN ALLUMÉE (2008) by Michael Whelan

Acrylic - 36" X 36"

“The very meaninglessness of life forces man to create his own meaning. The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent… but if we can come to terms with this indifference, then our existence as a species can have genuine meaning. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.” Stanley Kubrick, 1968.  

The renowned American director of 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY is referring to the lights of knowledge, curiosity, exploration, and wisdom gained through experience. I originally wanted to title this painting “The Shining Path”, but I was concerned that people would erroneously connect the work to the infamous South American guerrilla movement. I found an approximate equivalent to the title in French, so I named it Le Chemin Allumée. French is an appropriate language to turn to, since Kubrick made a film titled PATHS OF GLORY which was about French soldiers in WWI. Of course, Kubrick also directed THE SHINING.

TERMINUS (2007) by Michael Whelan

Acrylic on Canvas - 36" X 48"  

Growing up in the fifties and sixties most of us fully expected the progress so evident in society and the space sciences to continue at the same headlong pace they had shown during those years. As a young boy I never imagined that by the new millennium we would not even have a base on the moon yet!  

This painting references the space program, specifically the manned missions to the moon and beyond. Clues abound, all related to what Laurie Anderson has termed the “Post-Lunar Period.” The moon missions ended with Apollo 17, so orange signs go from the near disastrous mission #13 (the sign is bent and askew) to the final one #17. That seventeenth mission left on December 14th, 1972 when I was 22. The figure is an oblique reference to myself as a child, trying to peer into a wondrous yet mostly indiscernible future.

CHASM (2000) by Michael Whelan

Acrylic on Panel - 30" x 20"

I keep a sketchpad next to the bed for recording ideas which arrive as I am falling asleep or waking up… prime time for my “muse channel.”

FREEFALL (2001) by Michael Whelan

Acrylic on Panel - 12" x 12"

CAUSEWAY by Michael Whelan