After 500 Years, Dürer's Art Still Engraved on Mathematicians' Minds (Op-Ed)
- David Chudnovsky , Gregory Chudnovsky for livescience.com May 13th, 2014
- Source: http://www.livescience.com/45557-durer-engraving-shaped-science-and-math.html
This year marks 500 years since the creation of Albrecht Dürer's "Melencolia I," one of his three "Master Prints," widely considered the pinnacle of classical printmaking. Dürer, a Renaissance man, incorporated his world view and his deep interest in science, especially mathematics , into his prints. Among the prints, "Melencolia I" holds a special place, influencing many generations of artists, philosophers, scientists, mathematicians and students of science.
The image of Melancholy, a winged genius with a large book on her lap and an open pair of dividers in her hand, is widely interpreted as a personification of secular learning, with mathematics as a foundation of the natural sciences.
