The influence of artistic talent on scientific appreciation in seventeenth-century entomologist illustrations in Europe: To what extent are seventeenth-century entomologists considered to be artists or scientists by contemporary researchers

The seventeenth century, especially in the second half, was a significant transitional era in the history of the study of insects. Some of the most famous names in this regard are Johannes Goedaert, Maria Sibylla Merian, and Jan Swammerdam. All these naturalists carefully observed insects and turned their findings into illustrations; however, Goedaert and Merian, who possessed excellent painting skills, were described primarily as artists by certain researchers, while Swammerdam was described as a scientist. This phenomenon forms the research problem of this thesis, expressed in a question about the connection of artistic skills of entomologists and recognition of their scientific input. The objective of this research is to determine to what extent is the artistic level of the entomologists' illustrations of influence on the level to which they are considered scientists or artists by contemporary researchers. The methods of the research were data analysis of scientific illustrations...Show moreThe seventeenth century, especially in the second half, was a significant transitional era in the history of the study of insects. Some of the most famous names in this regard are Johannes Goedaert, Maria Sibylla Merian, and Jan Swammerdam. All these naturalists carefully observed insects and turned their findings into illustrations; however, Goedaert and Merian, who possessed excellent painting skills, were described primarily as artists by certain researchers, while Swammerdam was described as a scientist. This phenomenon forms the research problem of this thesis, expressed in a question about the connection of artistic skills of entomologists and recognition of their scientific input. The objective of this research is to determine to what extent is the artistic level of the entomologists' illustrations of influence on the level to which they are considered scientists or artists by contemporary researchers. The methods of the research were data analysis of scientific illustrations history and biographical information of the entomologists as well as comparison of the three entomologists' illustrations of the transformation of insects with the use of the theory of the picture by Gabriele Werner. The key results of the research include the findings that the opinions of the researchers could be influenced by the artistic value of the illustrations and the reputation of the entomologists as artists and scientists. The results bring to the conclusion that although art and science go hand-in-hand and complement and reinforce each other, certain aspects of entomologists' life paths can contribute to the fact that researchers attribute them to only one type of activity.Show less

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The influence of artistic talent on scientific appreciation in seventeenth-century entomologist illustrations in Europe: To what extent are seventeenth-century entomologists considered to be artists or scientists by contemporary researchers