Art, Science, and Wonder in the Medieval World
To complement Getty's PST ART: Art & Science Collide exhibition Lumen: The Art and Science of Light, curators and scholars present two panel discussions on the intersections of art and science in the medieval world. Designed as a series of engaging discussions, the first presentation explores topics such as astronomy and optics, and examines how medieval people thought about the science of light in both Latin and Arabic speaking regions. Following an in-gallery activity, the second discussion invites scholars of neuroscience, philosophy, and art to consider the effects of light on the brain and the ways that medieval people harnessed light to create immersive spaces of wonder.
"Astronomers on Mount Athos" (detail), in "The Travels of Sir John Mandeville," about 1400–1425, Master of the Mandeville Travels. Tinted ink on parchment. The British Library Collection, Add. 24189, fol. 15. Image © The British Library Board.