Visualizing Gravity: Experiencing Space-Time in Early Modern Culture
Marte Sophie Meessen | Visualizing Gravity : Experiencing Space-Time in Early Modern Culture | Radboud University, Radboud Institute for Culture & History (RICH) | Promotor(es); supervisor(s): prof. dr. Hanneke Grootenboer, dr. Joost Keizer | 01 September 2021 – 31 August 2026 | martesophie.meessen[at]ru.nl
Gravity determines everything in the universe. Its effects are portrayed in art as well. For contemporary artists the downward-pulling force has been a popular topic, but centuries ago, even before Isaac Newton coined his mathematical definition of Gravity in 1687, artists already played with gravity-effects in their artworks. For instance, when it concerned wonderous compositions, saints were allowed to float. However, depicting gravity correctly – by which I mean: fitting a certain expectation – is just as fascinating. It makes you wonder: how did artists recreate the gravity-effects of weight, balance, and movement so accurately? How did they conceptualize the experience of gravity in art? Building on art historical scholarship, I will address what experiencing gravity in art entails. The framework will be largely based on phenomenology, a theory on sensory-perception that in recent years has enjoyed increasing attention, resulting from rising interest in affect and the senses being fundamental to creating and ‘reading’ art. With a focus on Dutch seventeen century visual culture, the aim of this project is to uncover the pre-Newtonian responsiveness to gravity and its significance as part of making and understanding art, to recalibrate the visual tradition of ‘gravity’ in art history.