
Painting, Science, and the Perception of Coloured Shadows
Many artists and scientists – including Buffon, Goethe, and Philipp Otto Runge – who observed the vividly coloured shadows that appear outdoors around dawn and dusk, or indoors when a candle burns under waning daylight, chose to describe their colours as ‘beautiful’.
Paul Smith explains what makes these ephemeral effects worthy of such appreciation – or how depictions of coloured shadows have genu...
Many artists and scientists – including Buffon, Goethe, and Philipp Otto Runge – who observed the vividly coloured shadows that appear outdoors around dawn and dusk, or indoors when a candle burns under waning daylight, chose to describe their colours as ‘beautiful’.
Paul Smith explains what makes these ephemeral effects worthy of such appreciation – or how depictions of coloured shadows have genu...