Been wrestling with what to write my essay on (it's a pleasant tussle so far, no worries there...). Alchemy is a vast ocean of a subject, and I like swimming in it but soon I'll need to start narrowing my focus so I can crank out a ten-page essay before the end of March. The essay is supposed to concentrate on material/technical aspects of whatever subject we choose. So right now I'm leaning towards working with the doctrine of signatures, or perhaps the element of fire, and how these were applied by artists and alchemists in 16th- and 17th-century Europe. Or maybe hylomorphism. Aww, see...there's just so much to work with!
Showing posts with label alchemy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alchemy. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Thesis thoughts
Been wrestling with what to write my essay on (it's a pleasant tussle so far, no worries there...). Alchemy is a vast ocean of a subject, and I like swimming in it but soon I'll need to start narrowing my focus so I can crank out a ten-page essay before the end of March. The essay is supposed to concentrate on material/technical aspects of whatever subject we choose. So right now I'm leaning towards working with the doctrine of signatures, or perhaps the element of fire, and how these were applied by artists and alchemists in 16th- and 17th-century Europe. Or maybe hylomorphism. Aww, see...there's just so much to work with!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Alchemy
I'm doing the research for my writing project. The subject I've chosen is alchemy (surprise!). So far I've found some *very* interesting sources, including Gage's Colour and Culture, Bucklow's The Alchemy of Paint (my fave so far) and Elkins' What Painting Is. Funny, I ran into the last title nearly simultaneously with both my partner and Luuk, who's generously loaned me the copy he just picked up in the UK during winter break.If anyone has any other suggestions for good reading on this subject, I'd love to hear them!
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