ART, SCIENCE, AND IMAGINATION: THE WORLDS OF RACHEL RUYSCH AND MARIA MERIAN

October 11 & 13, 5 p.m.

This two-part program explores how two pioneering women of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries—Rachel Ruysch and Maria Sibylla Merian—bridged the worlds of art and science in their creations. 

Renowned for her intricate still lifes, Ruysch brought the precision of natural observation into dialogue with the aesthetics of Dutch painting, while Merian’s groundbreaking studies of insects in Suriname combined meticulous illustration with scientific inquiry. Together, their work illuminates the ways in which visual artistry advancedknowledge about the natural world in early modern Europe. 

Structure: Each lecture is a live event via zoom: a brief check and introduction, to ensure that participants have been able to connect, followed by a slide-presentation of about 50-60 minutes, and a Q&A discussion of about 20-30 minutes. Participants do not have to sign up for a zoom account. The link to the lecture is sent on the day of the event.

Fee: 20 USD per lecture, per person/ 40 for the series