Focusing on the parallels drawn between biological evolution and architectural design, this book explores the historical context of these analogies from the late eighteenth century onward. It examines how the development of living organisms has influenced human creativity, particularly in the realm of building and design, revealing insights into the interplay between nature and human innovation.
The exploration of Johannes Vermeer's artistic techniques reveals a compelling narrative surrounding the possibility that he utilized the camera obscura in his work. This book meticulously reconstructs Vermeer’s studio, offering new evidence that supports the theory of his use of this optical device. It serves as an intellectual detective story, delving into over a century of speculation and controversy about one of the most celebrated artists in Western art history.
An amusing account of the technology of Renaissance entertainment and the ancient influences that inspired it.Renaissance Fun is about the technology of entertainment in the forms of stage machinery, theatrical special effects, gardens, fountains, automata, and self-playing musical instruments from the Renaissance. How did the machines behind these shows work? How exactly were chariots filled with singers let down onto the stage? How were flaming dragons made to fly across the sky? How were seas created on stage? How did mechanical birds imitate real birdsong? What was “artificial music,” three centuries before Edison and the phonograph? How could pipe organs be driven and made to play themselves by waterpower alone? And who were the architects, engineers, and craftsmen who created these wonders? While this book is offered as entertainment in itself, it also offers a more serious scholarly argument centered on the enormous influence of Vitruvius and Hero, two ancient writers who composed on the subject.
