Print this page Art and Science in Sixteenth Century Italy

Follow the evolution of the study of anatomy, from its origins in classical antiquity, to its artistic flourishing in the workshops of leading sixteenth century Italian painters and sculptures. We will see how the science of modern anatomy had its initial origins within the visual arts, rather than in the medical schools of the Universities of Europe. We will also examine the life of Galileo Galilei, the founder of observational astronomy and modern physics. We will see how deeply influenced the natural philosopher was, via his study of both mathematics and drawing, in his formative years at Florence’s Academy of Art. Gain a holistic perspective on an individual who embodied the Renaissance belief in the integrated nature of all disciplines, both scientific and poetic. 

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• Canalis, Rinaldo and Ciavolella, Massimo. (2018) Andrea Vesalius and the ‘Fabrica’ in the Age of Printing: Art, Anatomy, and Printing in the Italian Renaissance, Brepols Publishers, ISBN-13: 978 2503576237
• Clayton, Martin and Philo, Ron. (2012) Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomist, Royal Collection Trust, ISBN 978 1 909741 03 4
• Laurenza, Domenico. (2012) Art and Anatomy in Renaissance Italy: Images from a Scientific Revolution, Yale University Press, ISBN 978 0 300 17957 6
• Moe, Harold. (1995) The Art of Anatomical Illustration in the Renaissance and Baroque Periods, RHODOS, ISBN 13: 9788772455969
• Hale, Robert Beverley. (2000) Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters, Watson-Guptil, 0823002810
• Bredekamp, Horst. (2019) Galileo’s Thinking Hand: Mannerism, Anti-Mannerism and the Virtue of Drawing in the Foundation of Early Modern Science, De Gruyter, ISBN-13 9783110520064
• Galilei, Galileo. (1632), trans. Stillman Drake (2001). Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Random House, ISBN 10 037575766X
• Greco, Pietro. (2018) Galileo Galilei, The Tuscan Artist, Springer International Publishing, ISBN 978-3-030-10149-7
• Sobel, Dava. (1999). Galileo’s Daughter: A Drama of Science, Faith and Love, Fourth Estate Limited, ISBN 1-85702-712-4
• Reeves, Eileen. (1999). Painting the Heavens: Art and Science in the Age of Galileo, Princeton University Press, ISBN 10 : ‎0691009767

COURSE OUTLINE

• From Hippocrates and Galen to fifteenth century Florence – We will begin with an analysis of the study of anatomy from antiquity until the fifteenth century, when artists began to research and dissect human cadavers.
• Leonardo da Vinci – Between 1510 and 1511, Leonardo dissected over ten corpses at the University of Pavia. In a matter of years, this number had been trebled. We will examine Leonardo’s knowledge of both human and comparative anatomy, chiefly via his surviving notebooks and collected portfolios of drawings.
• Michelangelo – At aged seventeen, Michelangelo began dissecting cadavers from the hospital at the Monastery of San Spirito in Florence. His biographer, Condivi, recounts that over his lifetime, Michelangelo dissected more than ‘those who are professional in the field.’ We will see via example, how Michelangelo employed his knowledge of anatomy to give the figures in his sculptures and paintings, “herculean” proportions.
• Andreas Vesalius – We will examine Vesalius’ De humani corporis fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body) both as a demonstration of the inaccuracies of the Greek physician, Galen, and within the context of the evolution in the anatomical depiction of the human body in print.
• Anatomy and the Art Academy – We will explore the role of anatomy within the teaching programs of the newly created art academies in both Florence and Rome.
• Ludovico Cardi il Cigoli – We will examine the sculptured écorché of this Florentine artist, whose concern with the scientific accuracy of anatomy, was linked to the movement of art away from Mannerism and the exaggerated depiction of the human body in art.
• Galileo and the Florentine Art Academy (Accademia del Disegno) - As a young man, Galileo first learnt mathematics - a subject then disdained at the University of his hometown of Pisa - from Florence’s Art Academy. We will see how a textbook on mathematics composed by the fifteenth century Renaissance humanist and artist, Leon Battista Alberti, gave Galileo a foundation in the use of geometry to calculate heights and depths that would play an inherent role in his later scientific observations.
• The Materiality of the Starry Messenger (Sidereus Nuncius) - Galileo’s famous astronomical work was the first published scientific text on observations made through a telescope. Out of concern that his discoveries might be preempted, the book was rushed to publication at breakneck speed. As a result, Galileo and his publishers were forced to hastily draw upon a variety of graphic and visual means to both illustrate and format the text. We will examine how woodcuts, etchings made by Galileo’s own hand and even the printer’s typeface, were employed to visually communicate the new discoveries.   
• Galileo and the artist Ludovico Cigoli – the bond of friendship and collaboration - One of Galileo’s closest friends since his time at the Accademia del Disegno, was the painter, Ludovico Cardi di Cigoli. An artist who was contemporaneous with, and equal in fame at the time, to Caravaggio. We will examine their friendship in the context of the collaborative scientific investigations of sunspots. Concluding with their discussions on art criticism, which revolved around an artistically progressive rejection of Mannerism in art.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should able to:

1. Relate an emerging scientific world view to its broader early modern cultural and artistic context.
2. Understand the pivotal role artists played in expanding our knowledge of the human body and the role both the study of drawing, linear perspective and practical mathematics played in the emergence of modern science.
3. Recognise the central role printing played in propagating both the study of anatomy, physics and astronomy at the scientific level.
4. Critically analyse the visual output of artists who contributed to, or were influenced by both scientific inquiry and discovery.