Today few would think of astronomy and astrology as fields related to theology. Fewer still would know that physically absorbing planetary rays was once considered to have medical and psychological effects. But this was the understanding of light radiation held by certain natural philosophers of early modern Europe, and that, argues Mary Quinlan-McGrath, was why educated people of the Renaissance commissioned artworks centered on astrological themes and practices. Influences is the first book to reveal how important Renaissance artworks were designed to be not only beautiful but alsoâ"perhaps even primarilyâ"functional. From the fresco cycles at Caprarola, to the Vaticanâs Sala dei Pontefici, to the Villa Farnesina, these great works were commissioned to selectively capture and then transmit celestial radiation, influencing the bodies and minds of their audiences. Quinlan-McGrath examines the sophisticated logic behind these theories and practices and, along the way, sheds light on early creation theory; the relationship between astrology and natural theology; and the protochemistry, physics, and mathematics of rays. An original and intellectually stimulating study, Influences adds a new dimension to the understanding of aesthetics among Renaissance patrons and a new meaning to the seductive powers of art.
Industry Reviews
"Influences: Art, Optics, and Astrology in the Italian Renaissance is stimulating for Quinlan-McGrath's praiseworthy effort to bring together theories too often studied separately (optics, natural philosophy, astrology, and visual art) in an attempt to expose a complete worldview that supports the understanding of Renaissance art 'images.' Unavoidably, such a global proposal entails singling out a few well-known authors and theories and hence sometimes leads to general reassessments; but, as the last chapter shows, her approach is fruitful and her analysis of Renaissance astrological vaults will shed new light on a long-discussed issue: the links between science, magic, and art in early modern Europe."--Nicolas Weill-Parot "Isis"
"Among the many virtues of this book, Mary Quinlan-McGrath brings two aspects of scholarship together in an innovative way. First, it is always difficult to explain to modern readers the fluid matter/spirit relation in an era well before Descartes. The idea that certain hidden, originally celestial qualities could impart long-lasting imprints onto materialized entities--and that those entities in turn could have real effects in the world--was shared to such an extent that it often did not have to be articulated. Second, Quinlan-McGrath brings this perspective into the context of patronage studies; this move represents something new in art historical scholarship. She presents a different way of understanding aesthetics and one that is much closer to what fifteenth- and sixteenth-century people experienced as they processed art. This sort of aesthetic appreciation was interactive, primarily, and assumed a fluid link between subject and object in a manner often unfamiliar today."
--Christopher S. Celenza, director, American Academy in Rome
"Astrology was everywhere in the Renaissance. Criticized, censored, and feared as the work of the devil, it nevertheless pervaded a wide spectrum of human activity. This book, ranging from Greek and Arabic science to some of the greatest works of Italian painting and architecture, explains the how and the why of astrology and helps us understand, even empathize with, a fundamental substrate of Renaissance art and thought."
--Joseph Connors, Harvard University
"Mary Quinlan-McGrath's Influences is a work of striking originality. With unique clarity and expertise, she proves that Italian Renaissance architecture and visual arts were significantly influenced by a complex but coherent blending of astrology, Neoplatonic philosophy, geography, and other scientific disciplines. Quinlan-McGrath's work is a truly significant contribution to the field of Renaissance studies."
--Armando Maggi, University of Chicago
"Influences is a meticulously well-researched, thoughtfully laid out book--an invaluable guide for students, teachers, and enthusiasts alike. . . . Quinlan-McGrath's book accomplishes what successful art historical books set out to do: it clarifies a great deal of complex information in an engaging, accessible way as it enhances our understanding of the art and history of the Italian Renaissance."--Farisa Khalid "PopMatters"
"A clear, insightful, and unique assessment of the question of how the Renaissance dealt with the confluence of astronomy and astrology on the early side of any real scientific investigations of the heavens. Influences will be highly regarded by all interested students and scholars of the period. For those intrigued by the larger implications of Quinlan-McGrath's study, it will be apparent that she has peered through a very interesting portal onto what is a growing interdisciplinary interest in understanding the intersection of spiritual and material reality."--Charles Carman, University at Buffalo, SUNY "CAA Reviews"
"Quinlan-McGrath's Influences is an eye-opener. If astrology was indeed everywhere in the Renaissance, as historians of astronomy have shown, there is no reason to assume that it was not in art and in image theories. Putting forward the original, daring, and timely thesis that astrology was indeed there, this book has the potential to be highly influential as it invites historians of art and science to reinvestigate the role of astrology in Renaissance image theories."--Sven Dupre "Journal for the History of Astronomy"
"Quinlan-McGrath's fresh look at these astrological canopies opens up entire new vistas of Renaissance intellectual life. This alone makes it required reading for anyone interested in Renaissance visual culture, architecture, and history of natural philosophy. But it can also serve as a model of scholarship. Over the past few decades, it has become far less uncommon for art historians to sink their teeth into premodern intellectual history and history of science. Influences crowns them all in tenaciousness and thoughtfulness."--Steven Vanden Broecke, Ghent University "British Journal for the History of Science"
"The book is exceptionally well researched and meticulously documented. . . . Influences: Art, Optics, and Astrology in the Italian Renaissance is a truly significant and original contribution to the field of early modern studies."--Andrzej Dziedzic, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh "Sixteenth Century Journal"
