Description
Book SynopsisToday, art and science are often defined in opposition to each other: one involves the creation of individual aesthetic objects, and the other the discovery of general laws of nature. Throughout human history, however, the boundaries have been less clearly drawn: knowledge and artifacts have often issued from the same source, the head and hands of the artisan. And artists and scientists have always been linked, on a fundamental level, by their reliance on creative thinking.
Art and Science is the only book to survey the vital relationship between these two fields of endeavour in its full scope, from prehistory to the present day. Individual chapters explore how science has shaped architecture in every culture and civilisation; how mathematical principles and materials science have underpinned the decorative arts; how the psychology of perception has spurred the development of painting; how graphic design and illustration have evolved in tandem with meth
Trade Review
"An accessible work, rich and well researched." -- La Monde "Attractive, heavily illustrated, and up-to-date, this gift book provides a quick synopsis of human achievement during the past few millennia. While it falls gracefully into the category of coffee-table book, it is not all fluff...the book deftly covers all the expected historical developments without rendering them dull." -- Library Journal "An abundantly illustrated history of the dynamic interaction between the arts and sciences shows hows it has shaped our world, from prehistory to the present." -- Publishers Weekly
Table of Contents
Contents: The art and science dialogue A dynamic history Science in architecture Decoration: a path to hi-tech Painting and cognition The language of graphic design Technique and the performing arts An art and science symbiosis Bibliography Index of names Index of subjects Credits
