Art and Science, 2nd Edition

442 Pages·2015·66.4 MB·English

by  Strosberg

About Art & Science, 2nd Edition “An
accessible work, rich and well
researched”
—Le Monde
“Attractive, heavily illustrated, and up-to-date”
—Library Journal Art and Science is the only book to survey the vital
relationship between these two fields of endeavor in its full scope, from
prehistory to the present day. Individual chapters explore how science has
shaped architecture in every culture and civilization; how mathematical
principles and materials science have underpinned the decorative arts; how the
psychology of perception has spurred the development of painting; how graphic
design and illustration have evolved in tandem with the methods of scientific
research; and how breakthroughs in the physical sciences have transformed the
performing arts. Some 270 illustrations, ranging from masterworks by Dürer
and Leonardo to the dazzling vistas revealed by fractal geometry, complement
the wide-ranging text.
This new edition of Art and Science has been updated to cover the ongoing
convergence of art and technology in the digital age—a convergence that has led
to the emergence of a new type of creator, the “cultural provocateur” whose
hybrid artworks defy all traditional categorization. It will make thought-
provoking reading for students and teachers, workers in creative and technical
fields, and anyone who is curious about the history of human achievement.
About the Author
Eliane Strosberg holds an M.D. and a Ph.D. from the Free University of Brussels
and was a Research Fellow at Harvard. The cofounder of the cultural
organization Rencontres Art et Science, she has also served as a consultant to
UNESCO. Her other works include The Human Figure and Jewish Culture
(Abbeville).
Art & Science is also available in paperback.
To view our complete selection of e-books, visit www.abbeville.com/digital.
Melencolia I, Albrecht Dürer, 1514
(See chapter 6.)

Contents
Cover
About Art & Science
Frontispiece
Foreword
Preface
1. The art and science dialogue
2. A dynamic history
3. Science in architecture
4. Decoration: a path to hi-tech
5. Painting and cognition
6. The language of graphic design
7. Technique and the performing arts
8. An art and science symbiosis
Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Subjects
Photography Credits
Copyright
Foreword
What is common to art and science? Creation. Or rather the drive that impels
creativity. The thrill of the word and sound, of the color, lines and shapes of art.
The temerity of the scientific hypothesis which extends beyond reality. What is
the aim of a creative act in art or science? To surpass reality. Art suggests the
infinite variations of reality’s manifestations, which are impossible to capture
with the usual senses. That such expressions are part of a long and complex
chain is all that we know.
One of my teachers at Oxford, a Nobel prizewinner, said: “We should seek
what others have not seen, think what others have not thought of.” Is that not the
essence of creation? Malraux lucidly stated this in a text on cultural heritage
written in 1936: “The convincing force of a work … lies in the difference
between it and the works that preceded it.” He illustrated the subject by quoting
Giotto, but could have made his point just as well by discussing Einstein’s
theory of relativity.
Occasionally, when science reaches beyond its frontiers, it merges with
philosophy. Likewise, art can be dematerialized—boiled down to pure ideas.
Artists exercise the same self-discipline and rigor as scientists.
Creation, whether in art or science, is a long journey. Some believe that youth
is a prerequisite of creativity. This is not necessarily the case. We obviously all
admire Mozart’s precocity, but equally admirable is the expression of a maturer
mind, one whose critical faculties have been nurtured over time and through
experience.
It is difficult to be thrilled by anything that is too neatly served up. I do not
particularly appreciate pure evidence, creations to which nothing can be added. I
much prefer to come upon works in the making, which draw audiences into the
exhilarating struggle of creation—in which anyone can be a co-creator, a
participator in the act of creation. This is what I thought recently while listening
to the great cellist Rostropovich who, at every performance, re-creates music
with unparalleled enthusiasm: it is this invitation to share beauty that embodies
the true act of genius.
“Dare to know”: such was the motto at Oxford. Perhaps the opposite is even
more true: “Know how to dare.” To dare to invent, to innovate and create, to
escape routine and provoke the unpredictable. As the days roll on, until the very
end, we should fully reinvent each day itself and dare to paint it with fresh
colors.
—Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO (1987–1999)
Preface
The first edition of this book was part of a UNESCO transdisciplinary cultural
program. Its style is deliberately casual and narrative; it is not a history book, but
rather a collection of stories aimed at stimulating interest in the subject through
dialogue.
The project deals predominantly with the visual arts. The first part, on
architecture, is a general overview. Decoration, painting and graphic
communication constitute the other main sections. Music and the performing arts
are only dealt with in the context of their relationship with the visual arts.
Literature is not included in this work. Given the vastness of the subject, the
main focus is on Western culture, although numerous examples from other
civilizations have been included. This new edition has been updated to reflect
the dramatic changes in the fine arts driven by new scientific discoveries and
new technologies.
A number of eminent personalities have supported this effort: René Berger,
writer and honorary president of the arts department at the University of
Lausanne; Jean Dausset, Nobel laureate in medicine and modern art connoisseur;
Frank Popper, specialist in philosophical questions relating to art and
technology; Ilya Prigogine, Nobel laureate in chemistry and author of books on
aesthetics.
The text also received input from specialists in their respective fields:
Marianne Clouzot, artist; Philippe Comar, artist and professor at the École
Supérieure des Beaux-Arts; Françoise Gaillard, professor of philosophy at the
University of Paris VII; Antoinette Hallé, curator of the Musée de la Céramique
at Sèvres; Bruno Jacomy, engineer, associate director of the Musée des Arts et
Métiers; Elaine Koss, deputy director of the Art College Association; Bernard
Maitte, specialist in the history of science and knowledge; Sarah McFadden, art
historian and an editor of Art in America.
This book would not have been possible without the generosity of those who
lent their iconographic documents as a courtesy—artists, photographers,
museums, librarians, publishers and corporations.
The author would like to thank Tereza Wagner and Michiko Tanaka who
literally carried this project within UNESCO. She is immensely grateful to