The Tree of Science - Original Oil on Canvas - 70cm x 50cm

The Tree of Science draws upon the mystical philosophy of Ramon Llull, transforming his vast symbolic system into a contemporary meditation on knowledge, consciousness, and the relationship between humanity and the divine. Painted through the tension of powerful complementary opposites — luminous oranges against deep resonant blues — the work creates a visual dialogue between intellect and intuition, earth and spirit, masculine and feminine ways of perceiving reality.

At the centre of the composition stands Llull’s symbolic tree, a structure representing the interconnected architecture of existence itself. Within the tree sit three glowing orbs, observed closely by the masculine figure. These spheres reference the tripartite nature of human experience — mind, body, and soul — but also echo Llull’s broader belief that all creation unfolds through interconnected divine principles. The masculine gaze becomes analytical and searching, attempting to understand reality through structure, systems, categorisation, and reason.

In contrast, the feminine figure looks not toward the orbs, but upward beyond them, toward the divine itself. Where one seeks understanding through examination, the other seeks union through surrender and transcendence. Together, the two figures embody an ancient philosophical tension that has existed across mysticism, religion, and human thought for centuries: the difference between knowing about the sacred and directly experiencing it.

Though deeply symbolic, the painting is not intended as an illustration of philosophy alone. It functions as an entire philosophical system compressed into visual form — a meditation on how human beings navigate existence through logic, intuition, emotion, spirit, and perception. The intense orange fruit scattered throughout the tree acts as both literal and symbolic nourishment: the fruits of knowledge, consciousness, temptation, awakening, and transformation. Against the surrounding blues, they pulse with vitality, suggesting moments of illumination emerging from mystery and darkness.

Ultimately, the work asks whether truth is something to be studied, something to be felt, or whether wisdom emerges only through the reconciliation of both.