Art and Science

A RT / S C I E N C EABOUT THE AUTHORAR TA N DSCIENCEThe dialogue between art and science has powerfullyshaped both endeavors since antiquity.A rtists have been pioneering figures in disciplinesfrom engineering to medicine, while scientistshave decisively influenced our visual culture withtheir discoveries. In an authoritative and accessibletext with over 200 diagrams and illustrations,this book explores the fascinating history of thisdynamic interaction for the first time.T h roughout history, science and art have re f l e c t e dsimilar values and used parallel tools and methods.Artists and scientists today are intrigued by theadvancements in each other’s fields. Artists arefascinated by atomic stru c t u re, the Big Bang,and DNA, while scientists try to explain theorieswith images that will embody “the beauty of logic.”A rt and Science focuses on the most illuminatingintersections of the two disciplines—how sciencehas shaped architecture, from Stonehenge tocontemporary buildings that reflect research onDNA; how mathematical principles have impacteddecorative design; how perceptual discoverieshave influenced the development of painting;and how discoveries in the physical disciplineshave transformed the perf o rming arts, from musicto movies. In a wide-ranging discussion acrossthese and many other disciplines, this clearlywritten, well-illustrated volume provides an accessi b l e introduction to an enduring dialogue.Eliane Strosberg is the co-founder of RencontresArt et Science, an association in Paris that organizesexhibitions and conferences. She advises severalorganizations, including UNESCO.ALSO AVAILABLE FROM ABBEVILLE PRESSThe Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting1890–1985By Maurice Tuchman et. al.ISBN 0-7892-0056-2Art in HistoryBy Larry SilverISBN 1-55859-605-4FRONT COVER: M o n a - L e o , Lillian Schwartz, 1986BACK COVER (STARTING TOP LEFT):Horses in Motion, Eadweard Muybridge, 1878Page from the L i n d i s f a rne Gospels, Ireland,c. 700 A.D. (detail)Interior view of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museumdesigned by Frank Lloyd Wright, photographedbyMikiko NoguchiLight bulb drawn by Thomas Edison at his researchlaboratory, Menlo Park, New Jersey, 1880The School of Athens, Raphael, 1510–11The Mathematician, Jacopo de Barbari, c. 1470The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tu l p , Rembrandt, 1632M o d e l s , Georges Seurat, 1886–88ABBEVILLE PRESS22 Cortlandt StreetNew York, NY 100071 - 8 0 0 - A RT B O O K (in U.S. only)Available wherever fine books are soldVisit us at w w w. a b b e v i l l e . c o mPrinted in Hong KongISBN 0-7892-0713-37 35738 07133 5