17th Century Dialogue between Art and Science: The effect of the Scientific Contributions of Galileo on Late Renaissance and Baroque Art

Abstract

Abstract

     After a deep scientific and cultural hibernation throughout the Middle Ages, during which politicized religious domination suppressed the creative freedom of humankind in all areas of life, the European Renaissance in the fifteenth century brought scientific and human prospects and discoveries that played a vital role in enriching culture and art and modernizing their structure and philosophy. This would not have been possible without the help of humanistic scientists and other thinkers who emerged during the Renaissance and the later Baroque era and developed new perspectives including a scientific approach to addressing life’s challenges, exploring them in a spirit that reconciled the holy with the secular. One of the most prominent of those scientists was Galileo Galilei, who is today considered the father of modern science. Galileo was also an artist, and his art incorporated the scientific ideas developed during this time. Among these ideas was the spirit of observation and experimentation, which was incorporated into the studies of nature, the world and the universe. This in turn was reflected in the visions of Renaissance and Baroque artists, whose work was characterized by the desire to simulate reality and to depict it in a simultaneously scientific and human spirit, and of subsequent artistic schools. This study will examine examples of the important works that illustrate the most prominent features of Galileo's influence on visual art - particularly representational art - and the aesthetic value of that influence.