According to the Art Institute of Chicago (2003) “science and art naturally
overlap. Both are a means of investigation. Both involve ideas, theories, and hypotheses that are tested in places where mind and hand come
together—the laboratory and studio. Artists, like scientists, study—materials,
people, culture, history, religion, mythology— and learn to transform
information into something else”. This
essay will seek to discuss the relationship between art and science during the Renaissance,
Baroque and Rococo periods.
The Renaissance is described as a cultural movement between
the 14th-17th centuries that greatly influenced European intellectual
lifestyles. That was the use of areas of science such as mathematics and
geometry to gain a deeper understanding of perspective and proportions. One of the great men from the Renaissance,
specifically the high Renaissance period was Leonardo da Vinci. He was noted to have observed the study of
physiology and anatomy closely in order to make convincing images of the human
form, for example to see the proportions of the human body. He dissected
approximately 30 bodies and they were believed
to cadavers of criminals. Leonardo believed that by using correct
representation of the anatomy he would be able accurately display his moral and
ethical meanings of his narrative paintings. The “ Sketch of Uterus with Foetus”(c. 1511–13) and the
“Vitruvian Man” by Leonardo da Vinci are
examples of how science and art were
blended during the Renaissance (Wikipedia,2013).
During the 17th century baroque period
another artist showed a profound connection between art and science, he was the
modest Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Baroque art which was grand overstated
European art ran parallel to the scientific revolution and it was as a result
of the Counter Reformation movement by the Roman Catholic church. How spiritual
worlds where depicted in Baroque was influenced by this
scientific revolution and unlike the Renaissance that
had a clear division of
hierarchies, there was an intermingling
of forms. Baroque art did not necessarily
reflect the scientific temperament and Manohar (2013) suggests that Baroque period captured the conclusion of
the scientific revolution.
At the time of
Baroque art the microscope and the telescope were newly developed and these
scientific discoveries influenced the Vermeer’s painting “The Astronomer”(1668).
The man in the painting represents an astronomer who shows interest in finely
crafted objects and scientific systems such as cartography and astronomy.
Rococo art was
characterized by very ornate, fanciful themes and had a light air that stood
apart from the pieces created during the baroque period. The influence of science was more of a subtle
form, unlike the Renaissance period and the works of Leonardo da Vinci. However
artists still acknowledge importance of science, one of these artists was
Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin . Jean-Baptiste-Simeon was Chardin, French painter and a master of still life
paintings, of the 18th century was influenced by science and created
his masterpiece “The Attributes of science” (WiseGeek, 2013).
In conclusion the relationship
between art and science began many centuries ago and even today there is still
an important link between science and art. It is important to experiment with
and use science in order to pursue knowledge and further enhance areas such as
art.
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References
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