Del Rey Loven Trans-Neptunian Object

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Del Rey Loven

Trans-Neptunian Object

2014, 2024

Acrylic on Laminated Paper

and Oil Paint Stick

7 x 8 feet

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The Asteroid Series

Each painting is a Cubist re-imagining of a celestial body in space. The overall configuration is a hybrid oval/oblong shape, as asteroids tend to be. The fragmentation of the outside contour leads into varied interior shapes and patterns and introduces Cubist overlapping of planes and the Cubist sense that the painting contains multiple viewpoints or perspectives. The gridded areas could be understood as mapping the trajectory of the asteroid; while other shapes can allude to the blurred view of planets flying by; a slice into the asteroid, revealing colorful mineral deposits; or simply a surface area of the asteroid. All interpretations are optional.

The initial inspiration comes from fiction, not science. It was the impact of the fanciful imagery and heart-stirring narrative of Antoine de St. Exupery’s legendary story The Little Prince that launched this series. If you’ve read the book, you know that the Little Prince’s home is Asteroid B-612. Although it plays a lesser role in the story, B-612 demonstrates that the artist need not be a scientist to invent their own celestial bodies. Myth and allegory can replace the need for science and rational explanation.

Asteroid B-612 is the title of the first painting in this series, and the next Asteroid paintings were titled in numerical sequence, B-613, etc. As the works became physically larger, more epic themes came to mind, bringing about Ice Age Asteroid, and Dinosaur-killing Asteroid. The largest pieces in the series thus far, Trans-Neptunian Object and Near-Earth Object, borrow their names, but not their forms, from astronomy. The former is an asteroid or other object located beyond Neptune. The latter is an asteroid or object within the orbit of the Earth. This is how I imagine them.

Note: The first five paintings in this series were acquired by Dreyfus Corporation/Mellon Bank, Manhattan NY, for their permanent collection.

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