"VFTS-682" by Jan Pieter Fokkens

The colorful paintings of Jan Pieter Fokkens transport us to distant worlds beyond our comprehension. Within his seemingly infinite networks of lines, dots, and crosses, he decodes the recognizable to create something unfamiliar.

Each work begins with a colorized photo captured by a deep-space telescope. With the aid of custom algorithms, Fokkens manipulates the “fake pixels” of these images, isolating qualities of pattern and color. He then hand-paints these abstracted qualities on canvas, reconstructing the sense of longing and wonder one feels when they look out at the stars.

Entitled "VFTS-682," this painting depicts the Wolf-Rayet star catalogued as VFTS 682. Located within the Large Magellanic Cloud, VFTS 682 is 150 times the mass of the sun and 3.2 million times more luminous - making it one of the most massive and luminous stars ever known.

Acrylic on canvas. Framed.