Vanishing Boundaries:  Scientific Knowledge and Art Production in the Early Modern Era

Art and science are often categorized as contrasting intellectual pursuits but their mutual development in the early modern era may instead be seen as complementary expressions of the dynamic human mind.  In the case of a few individuals these activities are demonstrably inseparable, such as Filippo Brunelleschi and Leonardo da Vinci, making them seem like exceptions.  But the interaction of art and science was widespread and diverse, and manifested itself in countless ways.  The early modern era saw the evolution of the artist's workshop from craft center to the locus of intellectual discourse and learning.  Artists' desire to produce truthful depictions of the world around them required a new knowledge base that might include study of mathematical perspective, geometry, optics, and human anatomy.  The empirical observation of nature and its phenomena was also crucial to artistic training.  This resulted in a blurring of the boundaries between art and science.  At the same time, the rediscovery of antiquity and its attendant focus on natural phenomena and measured study inspired patrons to commission art based on visual precedents or lost examples as described in ancient literature.  Cosmological themes surfaced in public and private spaces that spoke of a new recognition of the perfection of God's creation and the spiritual dimensions of nature.  These cycles could also function as reflections of the patrons' erudition and as visual manifestations of their power and privileged lineage.  Works of art that reflected alternative scientific interests, such as alchemy, were also produced in large quantities.  The WAPACC Organization is seeking submissions for an upcoming anthology on the topic of relationships between art and science in the early modern era (from the early Renaissance through the Baroque).  Themes may include but are not limited to alchemy, astrology/astronomy, dissections/human anatomy/proportions, mathematics, optics, notions relating to the male and female bodies, the theory of the humors, and naturalia.  Please send your submission to the editors, A. Victor Coonin [log in to unmask]">([log in to unmask]) and Lilian H. Zirpolo [log in to unmask]">([log in to unmask]) by January 31, 2013.  Submissions should include a cover letter, CV, and an abstract about 500 words in length.