On Wednesday, class began with the analysis of a scene from the movie Girl With a Pearl Earring. In this scene, Johannes Vermeer, played by Colin Firth, is beginning a painting of his servant Griet, played by Scarlett Johansson. She is dressed modestly with her hair wrapped in silks to that it is completely hidden. During the time period in which the movie took place, women were only allowed to show their hair to their husbands because it was a symbol of beauty and seduction. However, Vermeer tasked her to take her head wrap off for the different affect of the painting. Eventually she gave in and took it off in private. However, she noticed that Vermeer was watching her take it off and she felt violated and humiliated. This scene reminds me of what I read in the book Ways of Seeing. Women are viewed differently according to what they wear and how they present themselves. As soon as she took off her head wrap, she was viewed as an immodest woman. It is truly amazing how many aspects, such as clothing and style, can have an affect on the reputation of a woman.

During the second half of class, Dr. Charles Liu came to discuss the art gallery displayed in school of Johann Jakob Scheuchzer’s artwork. He told us about the history of Scheuchzer’s artwork and then we looked at and experienced the artwork first hand. The main ideas of Scheuchzer’s artwork are based on science and religion. During his time period, it was taboo to try to explain religion through the use of science. However, he went against society and displayed his love for religion and science in his artwork. One particular work that I enjoyed from his collection was Physica Sacra plate CCCLXXI. This displayed the bible verse Joshua 10: 12-14. In this illustration, Joshua is speaking to the Lord. He is surrounded by beautiful landscapes, mountains, a river, and the sun shining above him. Scheuchzer incorporated science into this illustration by making a frame of worlds shaded in different ways. This showed that he knew the concept of daylight and nighttime by the position of the sun. Scheuchzer’s collection was truly amazing. His subtle ways of incorporating science into his religious artwork taught me to always look at the fine details of art.

This past Wednesday in seminar, we looked at a clip from the movie “Girl with a Pearl Earring” to add to our conversation about hair.  It was brought to my attention that hair was seen much differently a few decades ago than it is now.  The fact that it was associated with sexuality seemed pretty amazing yet ridiculous at the same time.  The thought of having to cover your hair at all times and your husband being the only one to ever see it seems a little insane and also cumbersome.  The scene in “Girl with a Pearl Earring” that illustrated this precept helped me see just how big of a deal showing hair actually was for these women.  To them it did not seem like a stupid idea or an inconvenience, which was a bit of a surprise for me.

For the second half of the class, Dr. Liu came to talk to us about an art exhibit in the CSI gallery that we were about to see.  I really enjoyed listening to Dr. Liu because he did a great job of explaining things in a way that I was able to really understand.  He also made a lot of good points, which had me very interested.  I loved his point about how even though everyone in this day in age is basically forced to specialize in a certain area or subject, it is still possible, and even preferred, that you take an interest in some other areas as well.  Specifically what he was talking about was how a scientist could be knowledgeable of and fascinated by art.  This seemed to be a perfect introduction to the art we were about to see in the CSI gallery, which was filled with very detailed and unique art that did in fact incorporate science, and religion as well.

Science is a complex thing. Our knowledge on various subjects is constantly changing. What was true and valid last week is disproved and replaced with another theory this week. We are still unsure about the world that we are living in. Charles Liu, the Director of the Macaulay and Verrazano Honors College at CSI, challenged us to think outside the box.

When Dr. Liu came in to speak with us, he spoke on the matter of combining religion and science. He posed a question: “Could someone who is verbose in science be just as verbose in religion?” Most of us answered “no,” but in fact, the answer is yes. Look back at some of the famous scientists in history such as Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, even Benjamin Franklin. Besides Science, what else do all these famous people have in common?? The were all philosophers! They were just as well read in science as they were in religion. Fast forward a few hundred years to 2012. When we hear that someone is a scientist, we automatically assume that they have no religious background at all.

On Wednesday, September 19, 2012, we had the honor of attending the opening of an art gallery at CSI. The name of the gallery was “Expanding Frames of Reference: Art, Science and Religion.” Normally, you don’t see those three terms in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence! Well, a Swiss scholar Johann Jakob Scheuchzer challenged this idea and developed scientifically based art commissioned to mimic passages from the Bible. The idea was brilliant!

One of the paintings that illustrates this the best is Physica Sacra plate CCCLXXI. The bible quote to go with this plate is found in Joshua, chapter 10, and reads:

“Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.“

In the painting, we see the sun shining over a mountain top and the moon in the back right. Around the frame we can see the changing of the moon and sun over the course of a day. At one point though, it seems that the light patterns have remained static, illustrating the above quote.

I was quite taken back by all of this. I had always been one of those naïve persons who  believed that science and religion could never co-exist. However, Scheuchzer, through his art, demonstrates that scientific principals found their origin in the Bible. After viewing this exhibition, my mind has definitely been changed in regards to this. Science and religion can and do, in fact, co-exist.

Before class on Wednesday, I knew that this seminar class would be about going to see an art exhibit, which is not one of my favorite things to do. However, after Professor Liu came to class to talk about the art exhibit, my opinion changed. I am like him in the sense that I am very interested in science. So when he gave us an introduction to the thought process behind Johann Jakob Scheuchzer when he made his paintings, I became interested in the art exhibit because of my interest in science. It seemed very unique for an artist to unify scientific thought with art and religion. These three concepts are typically unrelated. Science and religion have often clashed because of different theories behind how the universe began. It was interesting to see that there wasn’t a schism in this artists mind, to see how he united art, science and religion in this exhibit.

One particular painting stood out to me in this exhibit, and I think its safe to assume why it made it onto the cover of the information booklet. Scheuchzer’s Plate CCCLXXXI of Judges 14, verse 8, shows his unique intertwining of religion and scientific knowledge. Samson is bent over examining the skeleton of a lion. It shows Scheuchzer’s love of anatomy and fossils because of how Samson is examining the skeleton, and the picture of the completed skeleton above the frame. I also like how Scheuchzer has many details in all of his frames. He unites all of his paintings with his frames. For this painting he put bones on the sides of the frame. In his Plate CCCLXXX of Judges 14, verses 5 and 6, he has the front half of a lion on both sides of the frame, and Greek coins depicting Hercules fighting the Nemean lion. This painting is also very interesting because it combines the story of Samson and Hercules. Normally, Greek mythology and biblical stories are not intertwined in today’s society.

In class on Wednesday, we further discussed the idea of style in conjunction to “Ways of Seeing.” Early on in the class, we watched various YouTube clips of “The Girl with the Pearl Earrings.” I truly think that this was a great movie to watch, specifically at this time, because it draws a very close connection to John Berger’s book, “Ways of Seeing.” It relates to the notion that there isn’t exactly one-way to see something or someone, but rather numerous.  Therefore, it all depends on the seer’s conceptual belief or perception about the particular subject. After that was discussed, we further conversed about Edward Hopper’s idea of style.  I still, wholeheartedly, think that his style represents a universal nature. In other words, his painting upheld validity not only in the past, but in present day as well. After the class gave their input concerning what they believe was Mr. Hopper’s style, Dr. Liu walked into class and gave us a concise overview of what to expect at today’s Art Exhibit, as well as the deeper meaning as to why these various pieces were chosen. Also, he explained that just because someone is for example a chemist, they could at the same time enjoy art, music, etc. We, as human beings, aren’t restricted or confined to one particular field of study. Finally, Dr. Liu led the class to the Art Exhibit. This very gallery was composed of the works by, Johann Jakob Scheuchzer. He depicted art, science, and religion in its own light, but didn’t forget to draw a conclusion and depict how each of these three focal points are in fact related and relevant to one another. To be honest, going into this Art Gallery, I was a little hesitant as what to expect and how it would be presented. However, as I walked around, examining each of the artworks closely, I formulated a great connection that each painting embodied. I think that it was Johann Jakob Scheuchzer’s goal all along, and he did a phenomenal job.  I have to say, I did in fact develop a favorite out of all of the various artworks and it happened to be the first one. First off, I was greatly mesmerized at the engraved frame around the image. It doesn’t merely set the scene and tone, but more importantly, expand on the biblical connections between the frame and picturesque image. I think it depicted the dominance of the sun as it relates to human life and the world of nature. Everything painted was balanced beautifully, and the brush strokes used gave me a warm and conceptual feeling. All and all, this Seminar class was definitely an eye opener, and I am starting to make associations between art, religion, and science that I have never before.

9.19.12
Today, before we embarked to the gallery, Professor Liu visited our class to explain a little bit of what we were going to view. He explained what his purpose in the gallery was, since he is a professor of astronomy, not art. He explained that Johann Jakob Scheuchzer was a person who enjoyed both science and art, which nowadays isn’t very common. Professor Liu started the discussion by asking us if we think it is possible to enjoy both the sciences and the arts. I know, however uncommon it might be, that it is possible and many people do enjoy both. I think it’s a common misconception that people can’t enjoy both because of what many of us have been told from a younger age.
I remember being in grammar school and being told that if you enjoy math, you mostly use the left side of your brain, and if you enjoy the arts, you mostly use the right side of your brain. This separation makes children feel that you can only be good at, or find pleasure in, one or the other but not both. Even as people grow up and go into their specific fields of study, many adults might not enjoy, and might even fear, a subject that they aren’t trained in or comfortable with. Professor Liu also made another good point by saying that everything we do has both an artistic and scientific component; both are part of our lives. He further explained this by using a metaphor, a piano. The notes and sounds we hear are the art aspect of a piano. The meter and the mechanics of the piano are the scientific aspect.
I think many great things can happen when people embrace both the sciences and the arts. We can see this in Scheuchzer’s artwork. Scheuchzer paints Biblical scenes and incorporates science as well. In his boarders, which often become the painting itself, he often shows the scientific part of various Bible verses. In his painting of the mustard seed, the mustard plant’s roots are in the boarders but, the leaves because part of the main picture. Scheuchzer is also not afraid to paint some anatomical things like animal bones. I often saw that a lot of his paintings have animals in them, whether a main part of the picture or in the boarder. Some of his paintings have a globe on them, which incorporates geography, another science. Scheuchzer is a prime example that one can enjoy science and art.

– Amber G