Laura J. Snyder, "Vermeer and the Scientific Genius: The Revolution of Light and Vision in Seventeenth-Century Holland" Summary and Comments - Recommended Great Books! What is the surprising relationship with Löwenhoek, famous for his discovery of microorganisms?
We are pleased to present "Vermeer and the Scientific Genius: The Revolution of Light and Vision in Seventeenth-Century Holland," written by Laura J. Snyder and translated by Akito Kuroki, published by Hara Shobo in 2019.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
Two geniuses born in 17th-century Delft made discoveries that would decisively change the future of art and science. We are somehow drawn into this astonishing period. What a wonderful book! Thank you."
AmazonProducts Page.
--Oliver Sacks
In the life of Vermeer and the scientist Löwenhoek, this book tells the story of one of mankind's greatest moments of discovery. A meticulously researched historical nonfiction book that reads like a novel about a time when both artists and scientists used new optical instruments to study the natural world! "
--Walter Liedtke, Curator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Scientists and painters who challenged the "invisible world
1674, Delft, a small town in the Netherlands. Amateur scientist Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, using a homemade microscope, was the first human being to discover microorganisms. At the same time, the painter Vermeer, who lived across the square, was peering into his new optical instrument, the camera obscura, and trying to reproduce the effects of light on canvas - and he did.
In the 17th century, the "scientific revolution" was triggered by new optical instruments and theories, namely the telescope and microscope, and the amazing observational capabilities beyond the naked eye. As a result, astronomy, physics, biology, anatomy, and chemistry were revolutionized. For the first time, "the way we see things" became a central tenet of science. Painters also observed the natural world with convex lenses, magnifying glasses, and camera obscuras, and painted miniatures of insects and plants, trying to capture light and shadow, color and tone. But then he ran into a big problem. Can we perceive what is beyond the range of the naked eye? The scientists and painters of 17th-century Delft brought about a major shift in "seeing.
The life of Vermeer and Löwenhoek is clearly described from documents of the time, and the history of visual theory, from lens manufacturing methods, to the actual perspective and optics used by Vermeer in each of his works, is explained in detail. It also covers the painters and scientists of the same period.
Let me say this at the outset.
This book is the best! I am not exaggerating when I say that it is one of my top 3 best works of the first half of 2022.
I wholeheartedly agree with the rave reviews in the book introduction above. It's just so interesting! It's not often that I come across a book that excites me so much.
Vermeer is known for his unique painting style in which one can feel the grains of light as in the painting above.
The book will look at how Vermeer mastered the technique of capturing this "light" exquisitely, and how revolutionary it was in the world at that time.
We in later generations take these paintings for granted, but this book shows how cutting-edge the world Vermeer was trying to see was.
The author, Laura J. Snyder, tells the story of Vermeer in the context of the historical background and religious situation of the time. It's fascinating! I was like, "What? I see! The book is a great read.
It is easy to see how Vermeer and other Dutch paintings were tied to the historical background of the time. One can only be amazed at how Vermeer started a huge revolution.
And speaking of Vermeer, these two works are also famous.
The model for this scholar is said to be a man named Löwenhoek, who was the first in the world to discover microorganisms under a microscope.
Amazingly, Vermeer and this Löwenhoek were born in the same year in the same city!
The two were born in Delft in 1632.
And they both lived in the city for most of their lives, each accomplishing great things.
Löwenhoek with his microscope and Vermeer with his camera obscura, these two artists explored the world unseen by the naked eye through their "lenses".
I cannot discuss the camera obscura at length, but Vermeer was exploring the invisible world of light using the most advanced technology of his time. This is reflected in his paintings.
Although no evidence remains of direct interaction between Vermeer and Löwenhoek, the author states that the two would have had a connection during their lifetime, as each held a position in the small city of Delft and were also fairly close neighbors.
The relationship between the two is also looked at closely in this book.
The book will give you an idea of what great things the two accomplished and what it meant to this world. This was a shock. It is truly a revolution in the way we look at things.
Too much fun..! I was left overwhelmed by this book.
To be honest, there are so many parts I would like to introduce that I would like to write a series of articles titled "Reading Vermeer and the Scientific Genius". However, due to time limitations, that will not be possible.
I hope everyone will experience the fun of this book. A must read for Vermeer fans. You will love Vermeer even more.
I would also highly recommend it to those who were not so interested in Vermeer. You will be surprised at how amazing Vermeer was.
And even more so, those who are interested in religion and culture. I would highly recommend this program to such people!
This is because the book tells the story of Vermeer and Löwenhoek, who saw the world in a completely different way than the traditional Christian worldview.
It was a society that believed the world was created by an absolute God and could not imagine an invisible world. In such a situation, Löwenhoek discovered microorganisms with a microscope and presented a world that was unknowable to the human eye. Vermeer also explored the mechanism of human vision, in other words, the principle of light.
This is also connected to Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Newton, and others.
It is an amazing work that gives us an insight into that transitional period when the world moved from the Middle Ages to the modern era. As I have said many times before, such an exciting work is not often seen.
I would highly recommend this work.
The above is a recommended masterpiece by Laura J. Snyder, "Vermeer and the Scientific Genius! What an amazing relationship with Löwenhoek, famous for his discovery of microorganisms".
Next Article.
Click here to read the previous article.
Related Articles
