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Summary
Summary
"See for yourself!" was the clarion call of the 1600's. Natural philosophers threw off the yoke of ancient authority, peered at nature with microscopes and telescopes, and ignited the Scientific Revolution. Artists investigated nature with lenses and created paintings filled with realistic effects of light and shadow. The hub of this optical innovation was the small Dutch city of Delft. Here Johannes Vermeer's experiments with lenses and a camera obscura taught him how we see under different conditions of light and helped him create the most luminous works of art ever beheld. Meanwhile, his neighbor Antoni van Leeuwenhoek's work with microscopes revealed a previously unimagined realm of minuscule creatures. The results was a transformation in both art and science the revolutionized how we see the world today.
Reviews (1)
Library Journal Review
Snyder (The Philosophical Breakfast Club) focuses on two 17th-century Dutch luminaries: the painter Vermeer and natural philosopher Leeuwenhoek. These men, living when the scientific movement was just beginning its rapid expansion, learned to see the world in new ways using recently invented optical devices. With the aid of mirrors and lenses, Vermeer employed light and shadow to great effect, conveying a whole new range of emotive power in his scrupulously detailed paintings. Leeuwenhoek startled the world with his discoveries of the minuscule realm of bacteria after training his eyes to use a primitive microscope. Tamara Marston does excellent voice work narrating the moments of fascination and joy both men felt about their respective discoveries, and she handles the various Dutch names and words expertly. VERDICT Recommended for those with an interest in the history of science, art, and the Dutch Golden Age.-Denis Frias, Mississauga Lib. Syst., Ont. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.