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

Today in Seminar we continued to discuss the importance of style in an author’s work and the importance of the different “ways of seeing” when analyzing artwork.  I have to admit, this has been not only an informative and eye – opening class for me so far, but it has been interesting and new, and I enjoy going to class.

We first viewed some clips of “The Girl with the Pearl Earrings”, during which we saw on screen what has been happening for most of us in our Seminar class.  One of the main characters, a young girl who befriends an artist, begins to see the world in a new light, and realizes that not everything is black and white, that there are multiple ways of seeing things, it all depends on a person’s own perception.  From that, we continued our discussion from last week regarding the style of Edward Hopper.  After hearing other people’s opinions, I think that Hopper has a very interesting way of portraying different scenes of American life.  He seems to take real objects and real instances and transform them to be something menacing and dark, and in conjunction with my own idea, realistic.

This leads me into my thought for the day after sitting in Seminar.  I truly enjoy learning and analyzing different styles of art.  I think it is an interesting and fun experience to see things through someone else’s eyes.  When we see a work of art, we are seeing what the artist created through that artist’s eyes, his or her perception of the world.  Whether we like it, dislike it, find it menacing or light – hearted, it is an escape from our own reality and our sometimes narrow ways of seeing things ourselves.

After our discussion, we listened to a lecture by Dr. Charles Liu, who, in so many words, passed on the wisdom that while people usually dedicate their lives to studying a particular field or subject, that does not mean that they have to only study and enjoy that one subject.  A person can learn about, take interest in, and excel in many different areas of life, areas that sometimes overlap or complement each other.  We then saw Dr. Liu’s words put into reality at the Art Exhibit in the Performing Arts building.  It was a collection of paintings by Johann Jakob Scheuchzer.  This man seemed to take religion and science, and their two different yet not – so – different ideas and combine them in his paintings in order to get his point across.  My favorite of his paintings was #3 in the gallery, which depicted the power of the sun.  You never really think of the sun as being so powerful and yet, to stop and truly reflect, you find that there are all sorts of natural powers that are not obvious, but that exist in our world.

It seems that today’s class wrapped up our discussion of different “ways of seeing” when analyzing art.  I know I have definitely learned much from this experience, and I can only hope to use this experience in order to keep an open mind about the world around me.

In class on Wednesday we continued our look at Edward Hopper paintings while also discussing an idea brought up by John Berger in Ways of Seeing.  Although looking at Hopper’s collection was interesting, our discussion on the excerpt from Ways of Seeing was what I really enjoyed about Wednesday’s seminar.  Discussing the idea that men can always get away with a lot more as far as appearance goes is something I definitely agree with but never really gave much thought to.  The fact that it was so obvious yet seemed so new was probably what left me in awe. As an example, we took a closer look at Robert Di Nero at a special event.  In the picture, Di Nero looked like he had barely put any effort into his appearance.  His hair was gray and a bit messy, he looked a bit scruffy which gave the impression that he was too lazy to shave that morning, and it seemed as though he wore his wrinkles proudly, taking no measures to hide them.  We then took another look at the Mona Lisa and the effort she must have put into her appearance. It is exactly this that likely made her worthy enough to be the subject of Da Vinci’s painting.  Her hair looked done, her dress was elegant and made of rich material, and she even included accessories like a veil and shawl.  By the end of our discussion I was convinced, and even a bit uneasy.

Some other things that stood out to me from Wednesday’s class were a few of the paintings by Edward Hopper.  The first piece was Hopper’s New York Interior.  At first glance I really liked the painting.  Although I was unable to see the woman in the painting’s face, I still managed to feel bad for her.  This was probably because of her bulging muscles that told the story of her hardworking and tiring life, or the small and dark apartment that she was forced to live in because she was probably not doing too well for herself.  Another painting that I recall is Night Shadows.  I remember being intrigued by this painting when it was first put up on the projector.  I thought it was pretty cool how Hopper was able to make me uncomfortable by convincing me that I was stalking the suspiciously speed walking man that was in the painting.  The scene is dark and brings on some mystery, which seems to be a trend with Edward Hopper considering that New York Interior, American Landscape, Seven A.M. and a couple of others that have this same element of style.  Another trend that I found looking at Hopper’s collection is his obsession with shapes.  In Night Shadows Hopper paints columns in the background which adds a number of vertical lines to the piece.  The same occurs in New York Interior where vertical lines and rectangles are made into curtains, doors, and a detailed fireplace with columns.  Hopper cannot even control himself from adding a bit of this element to his self- portrait where he includes the door and doorframe of the room he is sitting in.

An artist uses his style to make the painting recognizable as his own.  The style is like his signature and can be a slight reflection of him.  This is true for Edward Hopper’s paintings as well.  When reviewing Edward Hopper’s collection, one may notice a common pattern and theme throughout his work.  Hopper seems to paint scenes with which most people can relate to.  Whether it is a depiction of a late night in the bar or of a farmhouse by the tracks, Hopper gives viewers a taste of typical American life.  This is accomplished in a way that makes the viewer feel like he is watching the subject’s life as it happens.  We, the audience, are somewhat eavesdropping on other people’s everyday activities without their consent or knowledge.

This style is evident in all of Hopper’s work.  In “New York Interior”, we are introduced to a young woman who appears to be sewing in her room.  Yet we only get a glimpse of the woman’s back.  Unlike the “Mona Lisa”, whose gaze is directed back at us, this woman is unaware of her audience and is just engrossed in her regular activities.  While the subject of “The Mona Lisa” is posing and appears to be dressed and groomed to impress, the woman in “New York Interior” remains oblivious of onlookers.  This way, the audience feels like they are getting an unbiased and unaltered view of American life; we are seeing the scenes exactly as they are, with no sugar coating.  Even in “American Landscape”, where there are no people in the scene, the cows in the painting have their backs to the audience and are not aware that they are being watched.

Similarly, in “A Woman in the Sun”, the audience is spying on a woman who appears to have just gotten out of bed and is warming in the sun before she dresses and proceeds with her day.  This woman’s gaze is not directed at us.  She, too, does not know she has an audience and would probably have had her door closed; yet we are in the room with her and can witness this private moment.

When Chris showed the class his own photography and style, he announced that he keeps his pictures “real.”  He does not tell the subjects where to stand or how to pose.  He takes the pictures as they are really happening and allows us to share in their real experiences.  Like Chris, Hopper creates paintings that are “real.”  The audience can see events as they are happening with no added bias from the painter or pretense from the subject.  The scene is not merely art.  It is real life.