Bibliograph

Eye of the beholder, Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and the reinvention of seeing, Laura J. Snyder

Type

Label

Eye of the beholder, Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and the reinvention of seeing, Laura J. Snyder

Language

eng

resource.accompanyingMatter

technical information on music

Form of composition

not applicable

Format of music

not applicable

Literary text for sound recordings

other

Main title

Eye of the beholder

Responsibility statement

Laura J. Snyder

Sub title

Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and the reinvention of seeing

Summary

'See for yourself!' was the clarion call of the 1600s. Natural philosophers threw off the yoke of ancient authority, peered at nature with microscopes and telescopes, and ignited the Scientific Revolution. Artists investigated nature with lenses and created paintings filled with realistic effects of light and shadow. The hub of this optical innovation was the small Dutch city of Delft. Here Johannes Vermeer's experiments with lenses and a camera obscura taught him how we see under different conditions of light and helped him create the most luminous works of art ever beheld. Meanwhile, his neighbor Antoni van Leeuwenhoek's work with microscopes revealed a previously unimagined realm of minuscule creatures. The result was a transformation in both art and science that revolutionized how we see the world today

Target audience

adult

Transposition and arrangement

not applicable

Contributor