When, for the first time, Galilei “sees” the moon, in the winter of 1609- 1610, his gaze is radically different from the one adopted by the other astronomers, which are examining the lunar phases with their telescope. Galilei is not just a scientist, he is also an artist, and a great reader of Ariosto. The moon, as “seen” by him, is, for the very first time in the history of mankind, represented as it really “is”: similar to Earth, not eternal nor perfect, but corruptible and fragile. Such is the way the moon is represented in the magnificent watercolours in which the scientist pours the shapes of the craters and the shadows he recognises on the moon. How extraordinary, then, it is to discover that a few months earlier, a painter, the German Adam Elsheimer, was the first to depict a moon with spots.
Quando Galilei per la prima volta “vede” la luna, nell’inverno 1609-1610, il suo sguardo è radicalmente diverso da quello degli altri astronomi che scrutano con il telescopio le fasi lunari. Galilei non è solo uno scienziato, ma un artista, e un grande lettore dell’Ariosto. La luna da lui “vista” è rappresentata per la prima volta nella storia dell’uomo come essa “è” davvero: simile alla terra, non eterna e perfetta, ma corruttibile e fragile. Così la riproducono i magnifici acquerelli nei quali lo scienziato riversa le forme dei crateri e le ombre che riconosce sulla luna. Tanto più straordinario è scoprire che pochi mesi prima un pittore, il tedesco Adam Elsheimer, per primo ha raffigurato una luna con le macchie.
Ariosto, Elsheimer, Galilei e la Luna
BOLOGNA CORRADO
2015
Abstract
When, for the first time, Galilei “sees” the moon, in the winter of 1609- 1610, his gaze is radically different from the one adopted by the other astronomers, which are examining the lunar phases with their telescope. Galilei is not just a scientist, he is also an artist, and a great reader of Ariosto. The moon, as “seen” by him, is, for the very first time in the history of mankind, represented as it really “is”: similar to Earth, not eternal nor perfect, but corruptible and fragile. Such is the way the moon is represented in the magnificent watercolours in which the scientist pours the shapes of the craters and the shadows he recognises on the moon. How extraordinary, then, it is to discover that a few months earlier, a painter, the German Adam Elsheimer, was the first to depict a moon with spots.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Ariosto, Galilei e la luna Estratto LI.pdf
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