Blog #1-LakeLyn

September 04, 2019

I have never thought about the lines that define the intersection of art and science, until this last week. It was not until I physically wrote down characteristics of art and science separately and saw the personal connections visually. Before starting this class, I began to think about what the intersection of art and science is and if they relate somehow. I always believed science as one that is on a higher pedestal than art because of the profound amount of experiments and studies that go into it. I realized that my viewpoint created very distinct lines dividing art and science. However, the lines are more blurred than we think. As we begin to explore the history of art and science, the distinct lines between the disciplines become intersected and are blended. More recently, art and science have been cited against each other because many have failed to change their perspective notions abut the parallels in the disciplines.

I believe one of the most successful intersections of art and science was the rise of creators in both disciplines. Leonardo Da Vinci emerged from the Renaissance era, which included philosophical, religious, and scientific values that often questioned theories. Leonardo Da Vinci is an artist that is best known for his painting, "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa." Da Vinci contributed immensely to the intersections of art and science. Reading on more of his thought process, I learned that "Da Vinci believed that "perception is the origin of all knowledge" and that "science is the observation of things possible, whether present or past." Da Vinci sketched his surroundings and made theorizations about them in his journal. Da Vinci's findings helped develop something new into an art form. His memoirs were his manifestations from his observations of science in the communicative form of art.

There are many present-day examples of artist that use the interdisciplinary of art and science to create their bodies of work. An artist that stood out to me was Jen Stark. Stark's work comes from her fascination in the visual systems of plants. Her artwork simulates the plant growth, evolution, geometries, fractals, and many others to create optical illusions within her 3D artwork. Jen Stark's work "often resemble organic, molecular, cloud-like structures, and are imbued with kinetic, undulating effects that serve to dislocate the viewer from staid reality into an immersive ecosphere of echoing patterns and the implausible designs found in nature." The use of her vivid color creates a conversation with humans and the natural world that encourages others to help preserve our planet. The one thing that I found extremely interesting about Stark when I was reading; her artwork is not limited to the confines of museums and galleries. Stark's work is very diverse and has also been combined with animated films as well.