As the world took a shift in ideas from the classical into the Renaissance period, these ideals changed not only in thoughts, words, and deeds, but also transformed the artistic expression of the world forever. This paper will discuss this transformation as it relates to the growth of scientific knowledge and how it is used in art. We will visit three works of art from three major stylistic periods. The periods that we will draw from are the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo periods.
We start here with the Renaissance. This time period is also known as the age of rebirth, referring to the changing of the way the world works, how people are seen and treated, and understanding of knowledge. Great strides were made in the study and and advancement
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Although many scholars suggest that the Baroque era was a continuation of the Renaissance, others debate otherwise. The point is, that this time was the point of a pushback from the Catholic Church in response to Protestant Reformation (The Baroque: From Revolution in the Church to Revolutions in US & France to the Industrial Revolution, n.d.). Regardless of this pushback from the Church, thoughts and ideas were more freely expressed and thus so was art. One of the focal points of this period was the study of natural sciences that included research in geography and astronomy, and also brought about the microscope, telescope, thermometer, etc... ("The Scientific Revolution and the Baroque", n.d.). Astronomy had taken a more dominant position among the sciences. Debates about the distance from the sun, which planets rotated which, if the earth the was center of the universe, were all …show more content…
In this style, we see a focus on recording observations of the natural world in scientific forum.
A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at the Orrery (Wright of Derby, 1766)
The Rococo age shows the crowning moments of freedom in the expression of art in the area of science. It is an important period following the Baroque and Renaissance, and without the Rococo, the other two would have been in vain.
We find in these three eras: the advancement of art in science, art through science, science through art, and science in art. It is easy to understand why these periods are such an impactful and important time in human history. It can be observed that art and science walked hand in hand throughout this span, ensuring that the other endures and advances through this pivot time of serious reformation and