One

One

Marion Drennen
Quantum Connections

  • Title: One
  • Size: 36” wide × 60” tall
  • Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

The most basic of all glyphs is the vertical line, originally a tally mark depicting a single unit. Since it also has connotations of God, a single vertical mark — centered, bold and white — was used as the first/original mark on this painting. The sensuous Sanskrit glyph for one that overlays the white, vertical ONE mark means refined, consecrated and sanctified. Sanskrit (4,000+ years writing system), considered the “high, classical” Indian language, is used in religious and scientific applications, much as the romantic languages consider Latin to be classical and use it for religious and scientific applications. Sanskrit is the liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The Sanskrit word for one, pronounced eka, in the upper left, has been filled with Sanskrit text, which is translated as:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards ONE another in a spirit of brotherhood.

This is Article ONE of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Other interesting facts:

  • ONE is the only digit that, when pronounced in English, has the same number of syllables as its value.
  • In all monotheistic cultures, ONE is identified with God.
  • ONE has an interesting double meaning: first/smallest and most whole/complete. ONE is the:
    • First odd number (and the smallest positive odd number)
    • First ordinal number (FIRST, PRIMARY, PRINCIPAL, INITIAL, BEGINNING)
    • Lowest cardinal number
    • has two cardinal values:
      • SMALLEST, MOST BASIC UNIT (one, unit, unity, solo, single, mono, uni-)
      • WHOLE, COMPLETE, TOTALITY (we are one—with the universe, nature)
    • Atomic number for hydrogen
  • Aries is the first astrological sign of the Zodiac
  • Ancient Greece: 1 was not a number, only a unit. Two was considered the first proper number.
  • ONE is the square of ONE, and also the cube of ONE.