Art and Ecology in the 17th Century

<em>Art and Ecology in the 17th Century: the work of Maria Sibylla Merian </em>with Kay Etheridge, department of biology, Gettysburg College. The Renaissance heralded changes in Western art and science that reflected a shift in how nature was observed and recorded. Artists portrayed plants and animals with increased fidelity to nature, and natural philosophers began to replace myths with scientific explanations of the natural world. This process relied on direct and careful observation, and often the artist became naturalist, or naturalist, artist. Maria Sibylla Merian was the quintessential artist-naturalist; she studied the metamorphosis of butterflies and moths for more than five decades and beginning in 1679 published four beautifully illustrated books. Hers were the first images to portray ecologically related plants and animals together, and influenced a host of naturalists and artists who followed her. Merian’s stunning and naturalistic images worked hand in hand with her text to describe the behavior and ecology of insects in a new way, changing the course of natural history. For more information 540-362-6532 or <a href="mailto:wilsonmuseum@hollins.edu">wilsonmuseum@hollins.edu</a>.