Starry Night: A Literary Analysis

Best phrased by surgeon, author, and inventor Leonard Shlain in his book, Art & Physics, “Revolutionary art and visionary physics are both investigations into the nature of reality.” However dissimilar Vincent van Gough’s Starry Night may seem from Isaac Newton’s second law of motion, according to Shlain, this is what fundamentally unifies the two subjects. Physics is the study of the natural world, while art is the representation of it. Art has been part of our culture longer than any of the sciences with our first cave paintings dating back to the Prehistoric period, but after religion was established, the first astronomers looked to the heavens. On into modern day, both subjects have drastically evolved: physics has changed focus from stars to the …show more content…
Much like how a story stimulating our five senses or an artist painting fine lines illustrates the world in excruciating detail, physics does so as well, but instead with numbers and exactness. In the concluding chapters of, former university professor, Walter Lewin’s book For the Love of Physics, he describes physics as a way of seeing the world. Furthermore, Lewin shares how physics allows us to notice and appreciate the many invisible forces and phenomena which are present in daily life (Lewin 261-263). This perspective goes beyond the classroom and equations; it is a perpetual cycle of questioning why something happens and responding with an accurate, depictive answer. As we begin to ask more questions we become better at identifying the impact physics has on otherwise mundane actions. Physics draws us a picture of our world through patterns and equations, though, to clearly see it we first have to perceive physics as a natural art. Likewise, physics is emotionally motivated and not, as some people may see it,