Although historians have focused on the relationship between art and science in the past few decades, the representations of the heliocentric theory in art from 1543-1750 have not been studied thoroughly. In this dissertation, images representing the Copernican universe have been compiled and analyzed to determine the kind of artistic response to the "Copernican revolution." Art historians have interpreted the retention of traditional ideas and the lack of great numbers of examples as evidence that artists remained unaffected by the heliocentric theory except through their interest in the telescopic images. This study proves that artists during the Renaissance were cognizant of Copernican ideas and did respond to his discoveries but through traditional methods, often combining symbols of the new astronomy with astrological, alchemical and mystical imagery. Traditionally, the scientific diagram has been ignored as a legitimate art form, but the diagram was the most important vehicle for artistic expression of the Copernican universe. A stylistic analysis of the known diagrams representing the heliocentric universe is included. This analysis illustrates that while astronomers grappled with the dynamics of celestial mechanics, the artist also struggled to depict the concepts of dynamics. A chronological study of the diagrams underscores this fact. By the early eighteenth century, artists had moved from the standard format developed in the Middle Ages to conscious attempts to render the movement and flux of the heavens. With the work of Sir Isaac Newton in universal gravitation and the development of calculus in particular the bonds between the artists and scientists, once so strong in the Renaissance, began to separate. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-02, Section: A, page: 0326. / Major Professor: Francois Bucher. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_78167 |
| Contributors | Sumner, Cheryl Lynn., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 184 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
Page generated in 0.0017 seconds