FREE ESSAY ON ART AS A SCIENCE

ART AS A SCIENCE

As funding for education is decreased in certain areas and put to other uses, classes such
as art and music have peen put on the back shelf. The idea is that they are not quite as
important to a child's education as English, history, math, and science. Obviously,
teachers of artistic classes feel that their jobs are important to the learning and
development of the children that they work with, but others are quickly realizing the
importance of arts in all aspects of human interaction. Crayola has recently released an
ad campaign claiming that, Today's Crayola kid is tomorrow's self confident adult
(Crayola). They say, studies show that children who participate in the arts are more
likely to say they feel good about themselves (Crayola). As the importance of art becomes
more evident it might be necessary to view it in new perspective. Music and art are very
mathematical. In the early 1400s, Leon Battista Alberti suggested painting be considered
a Liberal Art with a scientific basis. In De Pictura he exposed optical perspective as a
geometrical technique which could be applied by artists to their work (Science Art).
Although art is viewed as a flowery pastime by most people, it can be seen in artistic
discovery and advancements, through the recreation and entertainment that most people
enjoy today, and through the lives and works of those we consider to be artists that art
is amazingly concerned with science. 
The development of art forms such as photography were made possible because of scientific
discoveries. The earliest photograph is attributed to Joseph-Nicephore Niepce. Although
his first photograph was no where near as clear and glossy as what we would consider to
be a photograph, his scientific discovery allowed for further development in the area.
Robert Kunzig writes 
Niepce used particles o asphalt, hardened by the sun and rinsed in lavender oil to
capture his pictures. Invented in 1824, Niepce's camera had to be opened to the sun for
at least eight hours (and sometimes as long as two full days) to expose its asphalt film.
In the late 1830s, Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre's use of silver halide emulsions and
development cut that time down to less than half an hour. (24) 
Without these scientists and their interest in creating and discovery the art world today
would be missing out on all sorts of creative outlets like photography. 
Computers and advanced technology have made it possible to create film-work that
continues to grow more and more accurate and lifelike. With the invention of computer
animation, animators have been able to create scenes for movies in minutes rather than
hours. Computer animation is not limited to cartoons but can also be used to create
events that would have been dangerous or impossible to capture otherwise. Journalist
Fenella Sauders, who spoke with Computer graphics scientist John Anderson, reports 
a lot of science went into making those monster waves in the film The Perfect Storm.
Anderson says, 'The trick (in making a wave look more believable) is to cheat the
physics. If you want a wave to break at a certain time, you have to manipulate it a
significant amount of time ahead. You can't just come in and break it right then because
it will look like the hand of God just came down and slapped the thing'. (Hand God 11) 
Thanks to advancements in technology like computer animation people get closer and closer
to realistically recreating reality. 
Games, although not always considered to be an art form, are making a new name for
themselves as visual attractions when they meet architecture. Architecture and art have
always been closely related. Most building are not only designed to be sturdy but also to
be beautiful to the eye and to the soul. It is not uncommon to drive though a city and
see a large mural painted on the side of a building. What is uncommon is to see a ten
story Tetris game running on the side of a building, but students from Brown University's
Technology House have made that sight a little more common. Fenella Saunders reports,
several hundred people got to play the game, including Apple cofounder and Tetris whiz
Steve Wozniak, who flew out for the event (Tetris 18). Move over Wyland. A new sort of
action mural has moved in thanks to innovative technology.
There has been a growing interest in science that can be seen in the entertainment world.
Corey S. Powell, who has done research into science on stage reports that playwrights
increasingly are turning to serious scientific themes, and audiences are responding with
heartening enthusiasm (86). This isn't hard to imagine. The world is in a time running
rampant with scientific discoveries and advancements. The science of the human makeup has
been unfolded, and we are learning more and more everyday about what it is to be alive in
the world. It is no wonder that humans want to interest themselves in the world of
science not only in a research atmosphere but also in entertainment. Powell also gives a
list of examples. 
Copenhagen, the 2000 Tony award winner for Best Play, is a searching meditation on
quantum theory and the ethics of atomic research. Also hitting the New York stage in the
past 12 months: David Auburn's Proof, which examines the competition between
father-and-daughter mathematicians, and Arthur Giron's Moving Bodies, based on the life
of famed physics eccentric Richard Feyman...Tom Stoppard's 1994 Arcadia, a fanciful
fusion of fractal geometry, historical investigation, and romance, has become a staple of
community theaters around the United States. (86) 
Opening science up to the public in an interesting way makes science in the entertainment
realm definitely a positive movement.
Many of the people thought of as scientists are also artists, or vise versa. James
Herriot, who has written many children's stories and a number of novels on animals, is
also a veterinarian. Herriot's book are a retelling of the events he encounters in his
practice, but they are not at all dull and to the point with no extra flower, as many
people might think of person of scientific mind would write. His stories are colorful and
poetic which makes them loveable to all ages of people everywhere. 
Leonardo Da Vinci who was a brilliant painter was also a sculptor, an architect, and a
man of science who did serious investigations into the natural and physical sciences,
mathematics, mechanics, and engineering. More than 300 years before flying machines were
perfected, Leonardo devised plans for prototypes of an airplane and a helicopter. His
extensive studies of human anatomy were portrayed in anatomical drawings, which were
among the most significant achievements of Renaissance science ( Da Vinci ). 
It's a good thing that Leonardo Da Vinci was also a man of the arts or he would never
have been able to leave behind his wonderful sketches, and that would have been
devastating for both the arts and science. One of Leonardo's paintings the 'Mona Lisa' is
known world wide to children and adults a like. Even if a person what not able to
describe what the painting looked like they would at least recognize the name. Not only
did Leonardo Da Vinci paint and sculpt but he also wrote music. A Renaissance man is a
person who is accomplished in many different areas, and the term was coined to describe
the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci (Da Vinci). Another man who is known by all Americans and
much of the world is Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin was a printer, a diplomat, a
scientist, an inventor, a philosopher, an educator, and a public servant. He invented the
lightning rod and amazed scientists throughout the world with his experiments in
electricity. He also helped to draft both the Declaration of Independence and the
American Constitution (Franklin). Herriot, Da Vinci, and Franklin like so many of the
world's great men and women are not interested in just one area of academics. So many are
poets and inventors, painters and researchers, writers and mathematicians. 
It is not solely important to be an expert in one area, but almost necessary to be
accomplished in as many different things as possible to truly understand the nature of
anything. When schools deny children the opportunities to study art, music, and other
creative outlets they are denying the children the opportunity to develop in all areas.
The basic academic areas of English, history, math, and science are jam packed with all
sorts of artistic opportunities. Art like science allows people to create. Writing and
English allow people to express their thoughts. Music and math allow people to break
down, add up and explain other areas of life. History is the greatest reflection of man
kind's art and creation throughout the years. One area of study can not make such as
large impact as they can all together. It is a shame to deny anyone the opportunity to
cultivate an intense amount of information, in effect limiting the impact they can make
on society. If the budget does not allow for extra classes such as music and art the
answer is not to eliminate these areas from the curriculum all together, but rather
integrate them into other subject areas. Where would we be if the great people of our
history had not been Renaissance men?
Bibliography
Works Cited
Crayola Commercial. July 2000. 
Da Vinci, Leonardo. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. CD-Rom. Compton's 
NewMedia, Inc., 1995.
Franklin, Benjamin. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. CD-Rom. Compton's
NewMedia, Inc., 1995.
Kunzig, Robert. Focus! Discover Aug. 2000: 24-27.
Powell, Corey S. Science Acts Out. Discover Aug. 2000: 86-88.
Saunders, Fenella. Avoiding the Hand of God Look at the Movies. Discover 
Aug. 2000: 11.
------------. Tower of Tetris. Discover Aug. 2000: 18. 
Science used in Art. ThinkQuest. Home page. 18 July, 2000 
.