0 comment Monday, May 12, 2014 | admin
Scientific illustration has been around for centuries, to document new findings in the natural world.Charles Darwin used illustration to record what curiousities he found on his travels, and there is a large online record of his illustrations here.
In Charles Darwin's time, photography was not advanced enough to catalogue species that he had found, so accurate illustration was important. Nowadays, photography is more likely to be used to document new species.Thus, if someone in this century decides to make a scientific illustration, the chances are that the purpose is for the benefit of art and not science.
Here are some archived illustrations from the past 250 years:
Fossils, Harvard University
Pierre Joseph Prunus Domestica1801-19 
Anatomy of the hand Clorion1830
Fossils, Harvard University
Natural History Museum, London
Colour plate Verzeichniss meiner Insecten-Sammlung Jakob Sturm, Nürnberg1796
There are some great sources for scientific illustration online at the moment. I'm following the Scientific Illustration Tumblr and have added the BioDivLibrary on Flickr for a hit of natural history every day.
In Charles Darwin's time, photography was not advanced enough to catalogue species that he had found, so accurate illustration was important. Nowadays, photography is more likely to be used to document new species.Thus, if someone in this century decides to make a scientific illustration, the chances are that the purpose is for the benefit of art and not science.
Here are some archived illustrations from the past 250 years:
Fossils, Harvard University
Pierre Joseph Prunus Domestica1801-19 Anatomy of the hand Clorion1830
Fossils, Harvard University
Natural History Museum, London
Colour plate Verzeichniss meiner Insecten-Sammlung Jakob Sturm, Nürnberg1796There are some great sources for scientific illustration online at the moment. I'm following the Scientific Illustration Tumblr and have added the BioDivLibrary on Flickr for a hit of natural history every day.
Labels: Anatomy, Archive, Biodiversity Heritage Library, Botanical, Butterfly, Charles Darwin, Fossils, Illustration, Insect, Insects, London, Natural History Museum, Prune, Tumblr, Zoology
0 comment Thursday, April 24, 2014 | admin
I am constantly amazed and inspired by the work of the artist Pery Burge, and have previously featured some of her photographs.
However, I have recently come across her Inksplosion videos on Youtube and had to share.
The videos show ink and water reacting towards one another, and the results could be compared to both micro-organisms and cosmic movement.
Pery Burge recognises why this conflicting duality exists within her work, the resemblance comes from the movement of matter from a central point outwards.
The ink travels in streams, which begin to have their own little tributaries.
The title of the second video on this entry is named "So Simple A Beginning" which she has quoted from the final sentence of "The Origin Of Species" by Charles Darwin.
"...from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful..."
I find that quote, a very fitting description for the Inksplosion videos.
However, I have recently come across her Inksplosion videos on Youtube and had to share.
The videos show ink and water reacting towards one another, and the results could be compared to both micro-organisms and cosmic movement.
Pery Burge recognises why this conflicting duality exists within her work, the resemblance comes from the movement of matter from a central point outwards.
The ink travels in streams, which begin to have their own little tributaries.
The title of the second video on this entry is named "So Simple A Beginning" which she has quoted from the final sentence of "The Origin Of Species" by Charles Darwin.
"...from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful..."
I find that quote, a very fitting description for the Inksplosion videos.
Labels: Charles Darwin, Origin Of Species, Pery Burge, Quotes, Videos