Tracing Scientific Vision

Explorations in the Art of Science

Tracing Scientific Vision explores the art through which science was envisioned in medieval and early modern Europe.  Join us on a journey through scientific works held by Special Collections, Collections of Distinction, CU Boulder Libraries.  From the woodcuts of the first printed edition of Erhard Radolt's Alfonsine Tables (1483) to the engravings of Denis Diderot's Encyclopédie, ou, Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers (1777-79), art and science have worked hand in hand to convey scientific observations that were both intellectually illuminating and visually appealing.

Special Collections, Collections of Distinction, University of Colorado Boulder Libraries, holds significant collections focused on the history of science.  These have played a key role in our outreach and instruction to CU Boulder students.  The Sam Tour Collection; the D.K. Bailey Collection; and the Ira Wolff Collection of Photographic History, to name just a few, hold works that reveal a conscious pairing of the sciences and the arts:  letterpress printing; engraving, painting, and photography.  This exhibit highlights a long tradition of exchange between the two disciplines. 

Curated by Susan Guinn-Chipman, with Sean Babbs, Barb Losoff, & Andrew Violet