A new exhibit that opens at the Block Museum on Jan. 17 examines how celebrated Northern Renaissance artists contributed to the scientific inquiries of the 16th Century.
“Prints and the Pursuit of Knowledge in Early Modern Europe” will be on display from Jan. 17 through April 8 in the Main Gallery and the Aldsorf Gallery at the museum, located on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University.
Organized by the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Mass., in collaboration with the Block, the exhibit shows how rare and treasured prints, drawings, books, maps, and scientific instruments demonstrate that artists were not just illustrators in the service of scientists, but that their work played an active role in facilitating the understanding of new concepts in astronomy, geography, natural history, and anatomy.
In-gallery digital displays, video and audio segments, an iPhone/iPad app, and replicas of sundials, globes and other tools that can be manipulated add an interactive component to the exhibition.
The exhibition can be explored through an interactive tool and videos or by downloading the iPhone/iPad link that can be accessed on the Block Museum website.