The Intersections of Science and Art: The Chemistry Behind the Artist’s Palette

The development of civilizations has been intimately related to science and religion. Most of the material science discoveries have been related to the needs for food preservation, artistic expression or religious beliefs. This class is a combination of art history, scientific discoveries and the synergistic discoveries of chemistry and art. From the discovery of pigments, the development of fermented beverages to the creation of fabric only used for religious purposes the students are submerged into the beliefs and philosophies that guided those discoveries. Poisons, pigments, food and construction materials were all developed from the ingenuity of an informal or formal scientist.