Art and Physics

[aventurinedream]

I'm reading Art and Physics by Leonard Shlain. Wondering if others have read that and have any comments on it.

[ohjanet]

Looks interesting, I'm going to order it. Thanks for sharing!

[aventurinedream]

Finally finished this. Interesting, but I feel it went over the edge near the end in suggesting various supernatural hypotheses. The main point is a large number of examples of ways different great art can be seen as anticipating major revolutions in scientific worldview. The examples are interesting and suggest to me ways I might appreciate different art more but I can't help feeling some of the claims to precognition are really hindsight.

[RVM45]

Reminds me of "The Tao of Physics".

All the supposed Tao-like insights were an artifact of the practice of giving subatomic particles whimsical names like "Truth", "Charm", "Strangeness" and "Beauty".

If they'd named the same particles after the Seven Dwarves, or Santa's Reindeer, you could have used bleeding edge Physics to support completely different crack-brained cosmologies.



.....RVM45

[EllenRipley]

I have "Physics for Dummies", has A LOT in common with art... just as everything else in fact :/

[IanBertram]

Haven't read this, but coincidentally have been thinking about the concept of 'dynamic equilibrium' from classical mechanics as a metaphor for describing abstract - and indeed any - compositions.