Exploring the legacy of Galileo in the year of Astronomy.
Italian Journal / The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 /
by Efthalia STAIKOS
Breakthroughs, progress, solutions, new theories, modern research… all of these words conjure up images of discovery and contribution in the scientific world. Grasping the natural world and understanding what we cannot see provides a sense of satisfaction, even comfort, to most. Science, however, is an example of a field where solutions and progress are actually driven by a certain dissatisfaction with what is already known. It is discomfort with the status quo that has motivated many scientists to push for new answers, alternative options; and to test and ponder persistently until they are satisfied with a new reality. Many scientists throughout history questioned the laws of nature that guide the movement of the stars and planets. It was previously believed that until Galileo, scientists never began to truly speculate on the theories put forth by Aristotle. It did not seem as though anyone had really questioned and researched into creation of the universal systems until Galileo came along. As everyone was frantically searching for an answer they could believe in, Galileo put forth solutions even though his research and his conclusions eventually led to his persecution.
Italian Journal / The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / Laura Giacalone /
by Laura GIACALONE
The history of arts as we know it today wouldn’t be the same without the support provided by kings, popes and rich aristocratic families to musicians, painters and sculptors. This phenomenon, which is usually referred to as “patronage,” had its maximum development in Italy during Renaissance, when the major masterpieces in the history of art were conceived and came to life, mainly thanks to the influence of the House of Medici in Florence. Among the artists who benefited from their sponsorship were Brunelleschi, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Italian Journal / The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / Laura Giacalone /
by Laura GIACALONE
The Medici Granducal Archive (Mediceo del Principato)
For over two centuries, the Medici family ruled Tuscany as sovereign Grand Dukes. Their archival collection – called the Mediceo del Principato – has survived virtually intact in the State Archive in Florence (Archivio di Stato di Firenze). It covers the chronological span of their rule: from the moment Cosimo I became Duke of Florence in 1537 to the death in 1743 of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, sister of Gian Gastone, the last of the Medici Grand Dukes. In other words, it begins with Michelangelo’s work on the Last Judgment and ends with the birth of Thomas Jefferson.
Italian Journal / The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / Laura Giacalone /
by Laura GIACALONE
A yearly appointment not to be missed by film critics and moviegoers from all around the world, the 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival confirms itself as one of the most prestigious events in the film calendar, with a rich and variegated selection of international titles and the ever-present parade of stars and celebrities.
Italian Journal / The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 /
by Efthalia STAIKOS
The California Academy of Sciences, guided by the mastermind architect Renzo Piano, has successfully created a self-sustaining, green structure. Its excellence was acknowledged by the U.S. Green Building Council that awarded it Platinum status. LEED Platinum (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the highest rating a building can achieve. The Academy, a design of Renzo Piano’s, is now the greenest museum in the world, and the largest Platinum-rated public building in the world. The science that went into creating the building did nothing to take away from the beauty of its design, which uniquely integrates it into the surrounding Golden Gate Park.
Italian Journal / The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / Genny Di Bert /
by Genny DI BERT
“The field of physics/mathematics that characterizes the imposing works of Algio Mongelli is transformed by an expressive freedom that confounds any scientific pattern. The unity and sythnesis achieved in his creations, whether large sculptural manifestations in stainless steel or geometric graphic forms, reveal the exceptional quality of this artist among the most successful contemporary artists.”
Thus wrote Nobel prize winner Rita Levi Montalcini in 1994 referring to the Roman artist Algio Mongelli (born 1939). An astute observation on the part of a perceptive scientist who, oblivious to the writings of the most renowned and profound art critics (Mussa, Masi, Strinati, Benincasa, Crispolti, Restany, Berger) arrived at the most defining aspect of the artist’s work: sythesis. It is from this core that his works originate––seemingly simplistic, oddly logical in content, their structure a relationship between space and substance.
Italian Journal / Columns, Face File, The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 /
Nicknamed “Italy’s national darling,” Federica Pelligrini, has not only just wooed her home country, but has attracted international attention with her record-smashing swimming feats.
Italian Journal / Columns, Literature, The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / Laura Giacalone /
by Laura GIACALONE
A man whose mind has gone astray should study mathematics,” said philosopher Francis Bacon, pointing out a strict relationship between mathematical thought and that kind of extraordinary, sometimes borderline, sensitivity that is commonly associated to poetry. That must be the case of Paolo Giordano, a 27-year-old Italian scientist working on a doctorate in particle physics, who has recently won five literary awards – included the prestigious Premio Strega, Italy’s answer to the Man Booker Prize – with his bestselling debut novel The Solitude of Prime Numbers.
Italian Journal / Columns, Photography, The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / Mauro Benedetti /
by Mauro BENEDETTI Tracing Romeo Montecchi’s lovesick footsteps down a small street in Verona, discover the former home of Capuleti, where on a front-facing balcony their beloved Giulietta once waited for her boyfriend. Lovers and dreamers place notes of affection on a nearby wall, and touch the statue of the young Veronese woman.