Mendillo Saints and Sinners in the Sky: Astronomy, Religion and Art in Western Culture

1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-3-030-84270-3
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 252 Seiten, eBook

Reihe: Physics and Astronomy (R0)

In this book, Boston University Professor of Astronomy Michael Mendillo takes readers deep into the annals of history, showing how visual depictions of the heavens evolved in tandem with science and religion throughout much of Western culture.

With unprecedented scope and scale, Professor Mendillo explores how cave art, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, paintings and architecture reflected some of the great religious and secular battles taking place over the course of centuries. Enter a world of biblical proportions, where constellations of ancient heroes and pagans were thoroughly recast as Christian saints and the Twelve Apostles.

This nontechnical narrative brings vitality and accessibility to some of the most enduring subjects in human history, offering a lively new exploration of the visual connections between celestial phenomena and artistic expression.
“Ever wonder how religion and art became forces of imagination on our night skies? Or how the night skies became forces of imagination on our religion and art? In this brilliant study of constellations and culture, Michael Mendillo, professor of astronomy at Boston University, reveals that the canopy of stars has been an ideologically contested space from the beginning, ensuring that the next time you look up, the sky will look completely different to you.”- Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director, Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History

"Saints and Sinners impressionistically reveals the connections of art, astronomy, and religion in Western culture to illuminate the age-old quest for celestial-terrestrial connections.” - Roberta J.M. Olson, author of Giotto’s Portrait of Halley’s Comet and Cosmos: The Art and Science of the Universe

“Professor Mendillo’s book does a priceless service, opening the doors of our minds to images that will stir us, because the heavens are part of us, and we all long to know how and why.” - Rev. David R. Thom, MIT Chaplain and Convener of the Cambridge Faculty Roundtable on Science, Art & Religion

"Over a lifetime devoted to astronomical research and teaching, Michael Mendillo has indulged a parallel passion for artistic representations of the heavenly bodies. In this sumptuous volume, he explores the projection of our changing belief systems onto the constant stars.” - Dava Sobel, author of Longitude, Galileo’s Daughter and The Glass Universe

Zielgruppe

Popular/general

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mendillo, Michael

Inhaltsverzeichnis

PREFACE

PART ONE:  ARTISTIC ASTRONOMY AND RELIGIOUS ICONOGRAPHY

Prologue

Chapter I. Astronomical Constellations and How to Portray Them

Chapter II.   New Players, New Roles

Chapter III.  The Schiller Enterprise

Chapter IV.   The Christianized Zodiac of the Northern Hemisphere

Chapter V.    The Christianized Zodiac of the Southern Hemisphere       

Chapter VI    Responses --- Theological and Astronomical

PART TWO:  ASTRONOMY IN CHRISTIAN ART

Prologue

Chapter VII.   Constellations of the Pagans in Christian Art 

Chapter VIII.  Beyond Constellations: Astronomical Components in Religious Art             

PART THREE:  CONSTELLATIIONS IN SECULAR ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Prologue

 Chapter IX.    Rubens and Astronomy 

Chapter X.      Astronomy-Art Connections in Multi-Media                  

Chapter XI.    Constellations as Decorative Architecture

Chapter XII.   Modern Art and the Many Themes of Constellations

Chapter XIII.  Astronomical Stars of Modern Art

Epilogue

Sources and References

Acknowledgements

                                             CHAPTER SPECIFICS

 

Chapter I. Astronomical Constellations and How to Portray Them

              Scope and Scale

              Focus on the Constellations

              The First Depictions of Constellations

              Reformations in Religion and Science—and the art to visualize them.

              Star Pictures from Earth

              The View from Another Planet

              Constellations Evolve

              The Amazing Number Twelve

              The Origins and Evolution of Celestial Atlases: Secular to Religious

      - The Farnese Globe

      - Printed Star Maps

      - Demise of the Artistic Celestial Atlas

      - The Line-and-Dot Constellations.

Chapter II.  New Players, New Roles

                 Allesandro Piccolomini

                 Johannes Bayer

                 Julius Schiller

                 Father Drexel, S. J.

                 Andreas Cellarius

Chapter III. The Schiller Enterprise

               -Pagans and Prophets, Beasts and Bullies, Saints and Sinners.

               -Options for Introducing a New Celestial Atlas                                                

               -Endorsements and Publicity

               -Schiller Tells His Story

               -But What Did the Apostles Look Like?

               -The Grand and Glorious Plan for a Starry Christian Heaven.

Chapter IV.  The Christianized Zodiac of the Northern Hemisphere

Chapter V.   The Christianized Zodiac of the Southern Hemisphere       

Chapter VI.  Responses --- Theological and Astronomical

                Counter-Iconoclasts:The Destruction of Images—Terrestrial and Celestial

                Counter-Art:  Luther’s position on the styles of religious art

                Counter-Clergy

                Counter-Science

                The Rise of the New Astronomy

                What was Schiller’s View on Science?

                A Decidedly Narrow Scope

                The Reaction of Astronomers:  Johannes Hevelius Speaks for the Professionals

PART TWO:   ASTRONOMY IN CHRISTIAN ART

Prologue

Chapter VII.  Pagan Constellations in Christian Art

                  Illuminated Manuscripts

                  Constantine’s Dream—A Celestial Globe in the Sky

                  Impact of Galileo’s New Astronomy upon Religious Art                                                            

                  Jesus and the Celestial Sphere: A Mosaic for the Russian Orthodox Cathedral

                                                                          in St. Petersburg

Chapter VIII.  Beyond Constellations: Astronomical Components in Religious Art

Depicting the birth and death of Christ   

·          Giotto’s Christmas comet

·          Sun and Moon scenes at the Crucifixion and Resurrection

Botticelli’s fresco of St. Augustine with his celestial sphere

                  The Muggeltonians: Biblical versus Newtonian Cosmologies

                  Jesuits teaching astronomy in China

PART THREE:  CONSTELLATIONS IN SECULAR ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Prologue    

Chapter IX. Rubens and Astronomy

Chapter X.  Constellation-Art Connections in Multi-Media

                         Astronomy Minted:  Coins and Medallions from Ancient Rome.

   Celestial Globes as Public Art

   An Atlas for the Rock

                         New Aspects of Space in Rome:  Zada Hadid and Anselm Kiefer

                         The Fabric of the Universe:  Tapestries with Astronomical Content

                         Model Solar Systems:  Constellations of Planets

                         Einstein and Alexander Calder’s Mobile Solar System

Chapter XI.   Constellations as Decorative Architecture

Palazzo della Ragione, La Villa Farnesina, J.P. Morgan Library

                        Sargent and the American Renaissance

                        A Zodiac for Chicago’s Public Library.

                        Grand Central Terminal’s Ceiling of Constellations

                        Stazione Milano Centrale

Chapter XII.  Modern Art and the Many Themes of Constellations

Universe in a Box:  The Assembled Heavens of Joseph Cornell

Picasso and his Constellations

Miró:  Constellations as Complexities

 Chapter XIII.  Astronomical Stars of Modern Art

Vincent Van Gogh

Edvard Munch 

Georgia O’Keeffe

Jasper Johns

Salvador Dalí

Über Autor(innen)

Michael Mendillo is Professor of Astronomy at Boston University.  His science career deals with research in solar-terrestrial space physics, planetary science, and newly discovered planets orbiting stars in our galaxy.  Professor Mendillo has assembled one of the largest privately-held collections of antiquarian astronomical maps, charts and atlases.  They form the basis of the Celestial Images exhibitions held at many university art galleries, the Smithsonian Institution and the US National Academy of Science.  His teaching of astronomy to non-science majors stresses interdisciplinary topics and their connectivity (science-art-religion-society).