The painting background shows the emptiness of space in which the Big Bang explosion is illustrated posterior to the gates of humankind in the upper center. The creation of humankind is shown on the top of the gates of humankind as the first rise of humankind and thinking human being is seen right below this, representing this characteristic of our species. The first rise of humankind is shown at the gates of humankind in both male and female form. Both sides of the gates of humankind include human ancestors ranging from the Ardipithecus and Australopithecus species to more recent ancestors from the Homo species.
The pathway coming from the Gates of Humankind towards the center of the painting illustrates a human family from the “Second Rise of Humankind”. They are showing bonding as the child is holding the hands of both parents. The male on the left is holding a spear as a tool while the female on the left is holding a baby on her left side. The pathway has T-shaped stone columns on both sides, each showing wild animal engravings representative of human accomplishments of the Second Rise of Humankind.
More apparent from left to right is the third rise of humankind represented in the center by many historical figures including philosophers, religious leaders, statesmen, artists, and scientists. On the left most side of the painting is Babylonian king Hammurabi, seen as he is holding the first written codes of law called “Hammurabi’s Codes”. Next to him is Abraham Lincoln representing equality of all humankind regardless of race, sex, and belief system. Napoleon Bonaparte is next to Abraham Lincoln talking to Genghis Khan on his right, discussing military matters. One can see two heads faintly next to Napoleon representing Benjamin Franklin on the left and Julius Caesar on the right.
Above these described figures on the left, one sees the distinguishable Albert Einstein talking to James Maxwell known for formulizing electromagnetic theory. In front of Maxwell to the right, Leonardo Da Vinci is noted. The lady figure below Da Vinci is the discoverer of polonium and radium, Marie Curie, looking at radioactive test tube. Right below Curie are three artists and they are, starting from right to left, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Michelangelo, and William Shakespeare in sitting position. Above madam Curie slightly to right is Andreas Vesalius, famous for his book on modern human anatomy. Next to Vesalius on the right is the father of evolution Charles Darwin talking to the father of genetics, Gregory Mandel.
The upper most left figure is a rose representing the prophet Muhammad. Above Darwin, one sees one of the ancient Greek thinkers Archimedes, famous for his statement “Eureka” or “I found it” referring to buoyant force. The woman philosopher in a white gown is Hypatia of Alexandra, who is to the right of Archimedes. The first monotheistic leader Akhenaten believed in the Sun god. Akhenaten is conversing with Moses, who is holding Ten Commandments in his hands.
Next to Mandel on the right are two figures important for describing heliocentrism, where the sun is the center of the solar system. They are Galileo Galilei and Nicholas Copernicus respectively. The sitting individual below Copernicus slightly to the right and looking at a test tube is Louis Pasteur, known for the pasteurization process. The individual right of Moses is Chinese philosopher Confucius having discussions with Ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, who is next to him. Right of Pythagoras is Jesus Christ, and next to him Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, known for his teachings of love and peace. He is also one of the prominent Sufis and the father of whirling Dervishes.
Right of Mevlana are Plato and Aristotle seen at the upper right, where they are having heavy philosophical discussions. Right below Aristotle is Socrates who is about to drink hemlock but is prevented by Hippocrates on his right. Below Socrates is Buddha, as if he is trying to prevent a fight between Alexander the Great on the left and Attila the Hun on the right. The figure between Mevlana and Alexander the Great is Avicenna, known for his Canon of Medicine. Left of Avicenna is Auguste Rodin, a progenitor of modern sculpture and creator of “The Thinker”. Below Rodin is Stephen Hawking, who is known for his theories on black holes. The figure right of Hippocrates is Ivan Pavlov, with his dog in front of him. Pavlov is an important figure in describing the conditioning process. Between Pavlov and Attila the Hun is the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the lawgiver.
Two important figures during the third rise of humankind are depicted in the center of the painting. The figure upper right to Pasteur is Isaac Newton and he is showing a light prism in his hand. Right of Newton at the same level is Rene Descartes, who is showing the fly in the air that helped him to define Cartesian coordinates.
The left upper side of the painting shows a nebula, a blown up star that had formed atomic matter. The right upper side of the painting shows a black hole emitting immense radiation. Below the black hole on the right side of the painting, one sees the planet Saturn, and there is planet Earth that is seen amongst the Saturn rings on the left upper corner of the Saturn’s ring. This is how spacecraft Cassini depicted planet Earth behind Saturn.