It is evident that science has been a part of the art world for a very long time now. From the earliest Renaissance artists to the bioartists working today, certain artists have chosen the field of science to either display in their artworks or use as a means of information of inspiration for their work. Robertson and Mcdaniel touch briefly on the great Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, who used sicence and mathematics to sketch out his drawings and create his famous paintings. But I want to take a closer look at how da Vinci used science in his art works and why.
Although da Vinci is known as being one of the leading Renaissance artists, he was also a scientist. He made many contributions to the world of science and invented many things, but I think that the most innovative thing that he did was to meld art and science into one. He took the skills that were being practiced at that time and improved them using the methods of science. Da Vinci's "scientific approach to art was in part an effort to persuade others that painting should be considered at the level of the liberal arts, i.e. rhetoric, philosophy, mathematics, poetry, etc. What is more scientific, he reasoned, than being able to see and to project what one sees onto a flat surface?" (Fox) Da Vinci also thought up the idea of the use of the triangle in art, such as the ones seen in "The Last Supper". I feel as though it makes the painting more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Besides using science for composition, he also used science to create figures that were life-like, and eventually came up with the drawing of the "perfect man". Robertson and Mcdaniel state that "visual artists also trained by drawing from skulls and models of skeletons, as well as from life, and turned to the study of anatomy to enhance their knowledge" (225). Leonardo da Vinci was "so fascinated by interior body structures" that he "sought permission to observe the dissection of human cadavers" (Robertson, 225). His interest in this led to his ability to convey the human muscular system in the most accurate way. Later, da Vinci used a system of ratios to come up with the "Vitruvian Man", which is considered to be the perfect man, and has become one of da Vinci's most widely-known drawings. Because of da Vinci's ability to understand science, he was able to manipulate science and art so that they were able to work together.
Bibliography:
Robertson, Jean and Craig McDaniel. "Themes of Contemporary Art". New York. Oxford University Press. 2010. p. 225.
Fox, Cheryl. "Leonardo's Workshop". The Library of Congress. March 23, 2010. http://www.loc.gov/loc/kidslc/LGpdfs/leo-teacher.pdf
Although da Vinci is known as being one of the leading Renaissance artists, he was also a scientist. He made many contributions to the world of science and invented many things, but I think that the most innovative thing that he did was to meld art and science into one. He took the skills that were being practiced at that time and improved them using the methods of science. Da Vinci's "scientific approach to art was in part an effort to persuade others that painting should be considered at the level of the liberal arts, i.e. rhetoric, philosophy, mathematics, poetry, etc. What is more scientific, he reasoned, than being able to see and to project what one sees onto a flat surface?" (Fox) Da Vinci also thought up the idea of the use of the triangle in art, such as the ones seen in "The Last Supper". I feel as though it makes the painting more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Besides using science for composition, he also used science to create figures that were life-like, and eventually came up with the drawing of the "perfect man". Robertson and Mcdaniel state that "visual artists also trained by drawing from skulls and models of skeletons, as well as from life, and turned to the study of anatomy to enhance their knowledge" (225). Leonardo da Vinci was "so fascinated by interior body structures" that he "sought permission to observe the dissection of human cadavers" (Robertson, 225). His interest in this led to his ability to convey the human muscular system in the most accurate way. Later, da Vinci used a system of ratios to come up with the "Vitruvian Man", which is considered to be the perfect man, and has become one of da Vinci's most widely-known drawings. Because of da Vinci's ability to understand science, he was able to manipulate science and art so that they were able to work together.
Bibliography:
Robertson, Jean and Craig McDaniel. "Themes of Contemporary Art". New York. Oxford University Press. 2010. p. 225.
Fox, Cheryl. "Leonardo's Workshop". The Library of Congress. March 23, 2010. http://www.loc.gov/loc/kidslc/LGpdfs/leo-teacher.pdf
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