Fabienne Levy Gallery
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Artists
  • Exhibitions
  • Fairs
  • Shop
  • Contact
Menu

Artworks

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Andrea Galvani, Newton's Second Law of Motion, 2019

Andrea Galvani Italy, b. 1973

Newton's Second Law of Motion, 2019
6500K neon, white blown glass, metal structure
29 x 65 x 7 cm
Edition of 3
View on a Wall
In 1686, Newton published Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis, a work of true genius that changed the notion of science forever. Here he introduced his three groundbreaking laws of motion, the...
Read more
In 1686, Newton published Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis, a work of true genius that changed the notion of science forever. Here he introduced his three groundbreaking laws of motion, the first to define and describe motion in precise mathematical terms through three equations. Newton’s dynamical equations describe the motion of a body with mass m under the influence of a force F. Their application is vast because F can describe any force, allowing us to calculate the motion of countless interesting objects and systems: from planets to pendulums, buildings, bridges, bicycles, and so much more. His second, most celebrated equation is the inspiration for Andrea Galvani’s neon sculpture.

Newton’s Second Law of Motion describes motion in terms of the force exerted on a body. If we apply a force F, this causes an acceleration a in the same direction of the force. It’s like the 1+1=2 of classical mechanics: in straightforward language, it seems to say “push something and it moves.” It may appear simple, but if we look closely, F=ma is very mysterious. It implies that if no force is exerted, there will be no change in velocity, and momentum (sometimes called “the amount of motion”) will remain constant. The idea that motion would persist in the absence of forces was radical at the time. It seems incompatible with the world we know, where we have to continuously exert force upon something in order to keep it moving at the same speed (we had to wait another couple hundred years for Einstein to discover the interchangeability of mass and energy described by E=mc2). F=ma disclosed a rather disturbing, counter- intuitive thought that conflicted with Aristotle’s teachings, which formed the widely accepted view for thousands of years. To arrive at this equation, human beings had to learn how to look at motion in new ways—to see the different aspects of it, and to change how we thought about what we saw. Galvani’s neon illuminates Newton’s profound insight: motion is not an action but a state.
Close full details
Previous
|
Next
22 
of  391

Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 6
1003 Lausanne
Switzerland

+41 21 711 43 20

Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers 2

1205 Geneva

Switzerland

+41 22 320 10 85

Rämistrasse 27

8001 Zurich

Switzerland

+41 44 253 11 24

info@fabiennelevy.com

Please note we do not accept artist submissions or proposals. 

Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Join the mailing list
Send an email
Manage cookies
Copyright © 2025 Fabienne Levy Gallery
Site by Artlogic

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Please contact us to find out more about our Cookie Policy.

Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences
Close

Join our mailing list

Signup

* denotes required fields

We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.