Branched coverings over a sphere
No. 187, 1976
(Algebraic functions and topology)
India ink, pencil, and oil on paper, 44x62 cm.
A sphere falls through space, collecting around it a branched covering that is meant to resemble a rosebud, its petals joined together forming various folds and pleats. Indeed, a sphere is a simply connected space that coincides with its universal covering space. In addition, there are many branched coverings over a sphere, ones that arise naturally in the theory of algebraic functions. Yet, by projecting a branched covering onto a sphere can we create the form of a rosebud, which clings to the balls smooth surface and gives it texture.
