The space-soteric graphic art of Michæl Paukner

There's a lot to enjoy in the Flickr stream of Vienna-based graphic designer Michæl Paukner. I intend to start following him on Twitter. I think this piece, above, is my favorite of the 27 he has posted online so far.

"A human being is a part of the whole called by us 'Universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest. - A kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
-- Albert Einstein

Skin Encapsulated Ego (via Fernando Rizo).

• [Anonymous]

  “Skin encapsulated ego” was a phrase that Alan Watts used a lot, though I’m not sure if it’s his own or borrowed.

  I’d recommend his works if you enjoy the Einstein quote.

• [David Pescovitz]

  Absolutely exquisite work. I wonder if it’s all done digitally?

• [Rob Beschizza]

  Ping!

• [Anonymous]

  This work is very beautiful and touching. Thank you for the link!

  (That Einstein quote is really something too. What a genius, that man…)

• [Majda Juric]

  Thanks for posting this beautiful artwork and Einstein’s quote. Beseides, both are outstanding remainders how shallow and misinformed is lot of today prevailing scientific reductionism.

• [Anonymous]

  ‘Skin encapsulated ego’ is a phrase that pops up in the lectures of the philosopher Alan Watts, when he talks about the sense of self.

• [dartagnanh]

  All digital. If I were to do this work, I’d be using a minimum of two applications: a photo editing software and a cad application, the latter being for that white symmetrical set of lines and polygons there.

  Einstein is some kind of guy. He is an icon of science and yet he seems to be very open to other fields (e.g. mysticism, esotericism, etc.) that are more often frowned upon by his peers.

• [Anonymous]

  It looks very heavily influenced by Mark Weaver.

• [Anonymous]

  Reminds me of Mark Weaver:
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/markweaver/3465148833/

• [pato pal ur]

  Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
  – Albert Einstein

  How inspiring. Ironically, it was Einstein who enabled the atomic destruction of Japan by famously writing a letter to President Roosevelt in 1939 informing him that “extremely powerful bombs of a new type may…be constructed,” a letter that directly led to the start of the Manhattan Project.

  smart man, but perhaps a bit of a hypocrite