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Showing posts from June, 2022

Art and Scientific Discovery in the 1700’s: Classical Era

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Above is The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus by Jospeh Wright of Derby originally completed in 1771, then reworked in 1795. The full title of the painting is The Alchemist, in Search of the Philosopher's Stone, Discovers Phosphorus, and prays for the successful Conclusion of his operation, as was the custom of the Ancient Chemical Astrologers.  In this painting the alchemist is trying to produce the Philosopher's stone. This stone could turn metal into gold. During the process he discovers phosphorus. Hennig Brand, the person in the painting, spent days in his laboratory, heating a mixture of sand and charcoal with a tar-like substance produced by boiling down 1,200 gallons of urine over two weeks. Finally after many hours a white vapor formed and condensed into thick drops that was very bright. In this moment Brand discovers phosphorus, Brand called the substance phosphorus because it is the Latin term for things that give off light. Within decades of discovering phosphorus i

The Baroque Era

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The artwork above is called  The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, painted in 1632 by Rembrandt van Rijn. Rembrandt was only 26 when he got asked to paint the portraits of the Amsterdam surgeons. Rembrandt was new to Amsterdam but quickly got commissioned to do this piece. Rembrandt was given the task to complete an oil painted portrait of Amsterdam's Surgeon's Guild, who at the time was Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, who was to deliver a yearly public lecture on some aspect of human anatomy. Every few years a painter is commissioned to produce an anatomy piece to commemorate one of these demonstrations. Back in this era     this was considered a social event where many would gather and watch with food and music.  There was tons of expansion of scientific knowledge during the Baroque era. During this period we learned of the creation and utilization of the telescope by Galileo, Newton who discovered the idea of gravity and mathematical discoveries, and Sir Francis Bacon who initiated the start o

Renaissance Blog

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  The image above was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci called The Last Supper . This piece was painted between 1494 and 1498 under the government of Ludovico il Moro. This painting can't be found in any art galleries or museums because it was painted on the wall of a dining room, called the refectory, of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria della Grazie, located in Milan. The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with the twelve Apostles. When reviewing the art during the Renaissance I learned how important the Medici Family's role was in so much of the beautiful artwork I was reviewing. The Medici Family was wealthy and were in a position to sponsor artists and encourage them to paint and be creative. The family commissioned many works of art for their home and the public and many pieces reflected their devotion to the Catholic Church. The Last Supper was not commissioned by the Medici Family, but their support for Da Vinci allowed him to work in Florence and