| This dissertation investigates connections between scientific illustration in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (PTRS) and fine art in the period from 1660 to 1850, comparing three science illustrations from approximately 100-year intervals, 1667, 1775, and 1839, with fine art images of Van Dyck, (1641), Wilson, (1774), and Constable, (1831). My assessment consisted of an objective visual analysis of the science and fine art images using Wolfflin's comparison pairs, an analysis of the compositional and external art influences in the science images, and an evaluation of the science images related to period art theory. My research found that the science images do reflect period fine art elements, to a degree, but they are not expressive statements of fine art. My research revealed increasing aesthetic influences in the scientific images from 1667 to 1839, suggesting that the incorporation of fine art elements in these science images, and the increased use of illustrations in PTRS articles, may reflect a growing awareness of the significance of images in scientific argument. |
