Giotto's Geometry: Art and Science before Scientific Revolution

This ambitious book delves into the connection between the Western "scientific revolution" initiated by Galileo in the early seventeenth century and the Renaissance "artistic revolution" led by Giotto three hundred years earlier. After years of contemplation and research, it illustrates the vital role that Italian Renaissance art, including painting, sculpture, and architecture, played in shaping what we recognize as "modern science." Samuel Y. Edgerton, Jr., argues that rather than being just a symptom, the arts actually acted as a catalyst for the shift in perception that took place in the West during the fourteenth century. Edgerton suggests that the unconventional representation of "reality" using Renaissance techniques like perspective and chiaroscuro laid the foundation for modern scientific methods.

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