Tragic Math Geek for ai5000

Paul Wilmott - Quantitative Cassandra

I had to look up the title's meaning, after Art Director SooJin Buzelli assigned me to draw Paul Wimott's portrait for the Winter edition of ai5000.

I know quantitative means numbers, something measurable, and that Cassandra was a character from ancient Greece, but that was about it.

Cassandra was Helen of Troy's sister. During an overnight ritual in Apollo's temple, Cassandra was found covered in snakes, which had licked her ears so clean she could hear the future. The god's had given her the gift of prophesy. Apollo wanted Cassandra, but she turned him down. Totally pissed, Apollo cursed her. No one would ever again believe what Cassandra said even though she knew exactly what would happen in the future. Tragic.

So, I figured out the title and drew a few sketches. I'm drawing a super smart math geek who figured out the world's financial system's were going to collapse, and no one believed him.