Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

exhausted the Renaissance idea of banning a three-dimensional world on a flat canvas."Friedrich mumbled that theoretical physics was comprehensible only to the initiated. "The essence of time is the deepersubstance of this theory, but in the very limited sense of theoretical physics, it will not affect you or me in our daily lives."She refused to give in. "Let’s see about that later. Is this theory so complex that you could not put its central ideas into afew simple sentences?"Friedrich cocked his head and smiled condescendingly. "A year ago a certain Albert Einstein, whom nobody had everheard of, published a paper in a respectable journal in which he postulated that the movement of the stars takes place ina four-dimensional world, the fourth dimension being time."He paused looking at Alexandra full of doubts. "This would not be so revolutionary, if Einstein had not shown that thelengths of the spatial and temporal coordinates shrink depending on how fast the earth—or another celestial body—moves. If the body moves very slowly, time expands to infinity, but if the body flies at high speeds time shrinks, until nearthe speed of light it becomes exceedingly short, and the body explodes in a flash of light, x-rays, or other electromagneticradiation. We don’t really understand yet what that means, but Einstein could explain some very subtle changes in themovement of the planets, which the old Newtonian physics could not."He looked expectantly at Alexandra. "Does that help you in any way?""If I am honest, it does not—except that it encourages me to tell you what moves me since this morning. Apparently youphysicists are also contemplating how to expand our vision beyond the confined concept of three dimensions and a lineartime."She smiled challenging at Walter, who was absentmindedly lost in his own thoughts."As I walked through the galleries of the pre-Renaissance today I was caught by the early Byzantine panels. Puzzled Isat in that room and asked what these painters knew that I did not know. An inner voice said, ‘God is timeless.’"She shrugged. "I am no longer searching for God, but last night, thinking about this subconscious message, anotherquestion came to my mind. Did they conceive of God as infinite and time standing still, or was He seen as a single pointwith time expanding to infinity? In both cases time could be non-finite."Walter stirred from his private preoccupation and said animatedly. "Alexandra, I don’t know what the Scholastics taught, Iam not a theologian, but this idea is very much alive in Islamic art. Moslems, like Jews, are forbidden to makeanthropomorphic representations of God—you know, a grandfather with a long beard. So their Sufi mystics invented anabstract image of God. In their mosques God is represented by a single point in the center of the dome."He began to laugh. "Forgive me, this conversation is very serious, but speaking of the Christian God, Michelangelo’sgrandest joke comes to my mind. You have never been in Rome and seen the Sistine Chapel, but you have surely seenreproductions of its ceiling: God creating Adam, stars, the sun, and moon, etc. Well, after finishing all this work God fliesoff, his crimson robe fluttering in the draft, and right above the Papal altar you see him vanish into the clouds—with anaked derrière pointing towards his lousy Creation! With your permission, according to the great Michelangelo, God hasa fat ass and wears no underpants!"Walter laughed and laughed. "Well, you see, such subtle insights are forbidden to Jews and Moslems." Still cackling, heshuffled out to get some wine. "Alexandra wait for me, I am very curious what you are getting at, I still have no clue whatit is.""You are not going to try to introduce God into Einstein’s Theory of Relativity?" mocked Friedrich when Walter had gone."If that is on your mind, I will go to bed!"Annoyed Alexandra said with a sharp voice. "No, I told you, I have no intention to argue physics. I leave that to you."Walter poured wine for everyone. "Let’s hear your theory."She touched her lips with her folded hands concentrating on finding her thread again. "Walter, I don’t have a theory, but Ihad a string of visions which cry for one. Having no immediate need for God, I turned my attention to the role of time inpainting."She unfolded her hands and quickly glanced at Konrad for emotional support. "It must seem obvious to you, Walter,since the Renaissance time stands still in painting. All action is frozen at the moment the painter has chosen. In somepaintings this moment is very precisely defined and gives the painting a very special meaning. I am thinking of LaTempesta, my favorite Giorgione, there it is five in the afternoon. The woman is feeding her hungry child when his fatherreturns, the storm is receding. Maybe only a woman who has nursed a child sees that, but Giorgione’s choice of the lateafternoon generates the tranquility that pervades this painting."Walter nodded. "Maybe only a woman can understand this Giorgione. When we first met on the train from Venice I toldyou that you have a privileged insight into this painting."She smiled. "Let me continue the description of my adventures in the Uffizi. Still asking my question, what role time playsin Renaissance painting, I landed before Botticelli’s Primavera. Walter, do you remember our conversation before thismysterious painting? This time I stared at Primavera with such intensity that I would have drowned in the beauty of itswomen had I not wrenched myself out of their spell. Trying to hold onto your elusive geometrical lines for support, Idiscovered that the painting has three vanishing points! They shift as you slowly walk past the picture. Very uncanny!"Walter admitted that he had not noticed that. But there were other Renaissance paintings that had more than one115