Hidden Harmony: The Connected Worlds of Physics and Art

by J.R. Leibowitz

Most "art and science" books focus on the science of perspective or the psychology of perception. Hidden Harmony does not. Instead, the book addresses the surprising common ground between physics and art from a novel and personal perspective. Viewing the two disciplines as creative processes, J.R. Leibowitz supplements existing and original research with illustrations to demonstrate that physics and art share guiding aesthetics and compositional demands and to show how each speaks meaningfully to the other. Hidden Harmony is the first serious look at what art and physics, as creative processes, have in common. Without assuming a background either in art or physics, the author widens our experience and understanding of both domains by exploring how concepts such as balance and re-balance, coherence and unity, and symmetry and broken symmetry affect and are affected by artistic vision and scientific principle. He reveals shared themes and understandings in each field and adroitly illustrates the parallels between the strategies guiding the dabs of color and layers of images in a work of art and those guiding the assembly of physical evidence into models of the physical world. Featuring examples of paintings and sculptures and complementary examples of physical concepts, this contemplative work helps us see art and physics as artists and physicists do.

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 27, 2008

Reviews

[Laia · Rating 2 out of 5]

lots of promises were not fulfilled

[Grady Ormsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden Harmony: The Connected Worlds of Physics and Art by J.R. Leibowitz is an interesting book. The author maintains that physics and art are both creative processes; the first in the development of theories and models of the physical world and the latter in the creation of visual products. He attempts to demonstrate that both fields share elements of aesthetics and composition. He explores how concepts such as balance and re-balance, coherence and unity, and symmetry and broken symmetry affect are affected by artistic vision and scientific principle. He points out shared themes and understandings in each field and shows the parallels between the strategies using color, line, form, texture and image in a work of art and the strategies used in the assembly of physical evidence into models of the physical world.

[Roy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The discussions on art and the explanations of key complex theories of modern physics are excellent. Each is worth reading in its own right. But the discussion linking the two - and the book's central thesis - is less convincing. What I got is that art and physics continue to evolve, both build on previous understanding, and both bring a coherence to seemingly impenetrable complexties. Here I expected much more.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and quick read. Discussed the two disciplines and their similarities more than connected them.