Art History

From mapping the soul to regulating marriage, the medieval diagram was an essential tool for thought. This post explores the incredible variety of these visual systems—from the Zodiac Man to the Guidonian Hand—before a deep dive into the strange and beautiful work of Opicinus de Canistris, a cleric whose visionary drawings combined scientific maps with divine revelations.

Long before modern science, alchemists used intricate diagrams to map the secrets of the cosmos and the soul. We explore the history of these symbolic images, their adoption by figures like Isaac Newton, and their surprising connection to the psychological theories of C.G. Jung.

What if a country's art education valued technical diagrams over imitating nature? This was the system that shaped Marcel Duchamp. We explore how his early training in the mechanical "language of industry" led directly to his rejection of "retinal" art and the creation of masterworks like The Large Glass.