Everyone loves a good Venn Diagram, but how were logical relationships visually represented before John Venn came along? We have his previous incarnations, the 13th-century Raymond Llull, and 18th-century Leonhard Euler to thank, so that logic, philosophy, evolution, and cosmic creativity can now be seen at every intersection. This painting conveys John Venn first as a fish and then as a cosmic visionary who persisted in imagining a way to express the relationships between humanity and the universe. The background of this painting  includes a page of Sun and Moon diagrams from De Natura Avium, 1277 (Franco-Flemish), and map fragments of Argentina. Argentina is known in relation to Venn diagrams because its 1970s military dictatorship banned teaching them in schools, viewing the concept of collective overlap as subversive and a model for political resistance. This connection highlights how seemingly simple concepts were seen as a threat to authoritarian control, linking logic and group assembly to dissent.

Acrylic on canvas

Size: 36 x 54 x 1¼ inches

Price: $5400