Einstein's Cross started as a proposal for the ceiling of the Brooklyn Courthouse. At that time, the constellation Einstein's Cross had recently been discovered and photographed.

"Astronomy is visual and photos of cosmic activity during the last few years are readily available. Einstein's Cross (1998) is based on a photograph taken by another telescope, the one on the Hubble satellite. If you look at the photograph and you see the artwork, you understand the form of translation from fact to art. My drawing is a study for a courthouse ceiling fresco that Cesar Pelli commissioned but he was unable to realize his original plan. The opalescent areas in the center are meant to be skylights. It's a small attempt at a huge concept. I also did many studies for the Euclid's Comet installation... that grew out of my interest in Einstein and related scientific photographic and written sources."—D.R.