Zorthian agreed to teach Feynman to draw, and Feynman agreed to teach Zorthian physics. The scientific instruction did not continue long, but Zorthian’s influences on Feynman led to the physicist’s life-long involvement in art making.
One of 2008’s more interesting art displays: the Pasadena Armory Center’s exhibition on the art of physicist Richard Feynman, as influenced by muralist Jirayr Zorthian.
Feynman was a wonderful guy, a big brain, and one of our few bongo-playing, strip-club-attending Nobel Prize-winning physicists. And now it turns out he was pretty handy at portraits as well. Too bad we missed the exhibition.
2008 was the 20th anniversary of Feynman’s death. He stayed around just long enough to get to the bottom of the Challenger explosion in 1986.
And now for the bongos.