Eye of the Beholder: Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and the Reinvention of Seeing

Do you love art and art history, but are inclined to study science topics? This study group is for you. In her compelling and elegantly written book, Eye of the Beholder: Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and the Reinvention of Seeing (W. W. Norton & Co., 2016), Fulbright Scholar Laura Snyder explores this revolutionary moment in human perception which profoundly impacted our modern notion of seeing. We will read and discuss the lives of the 17th century Dutch contemporaries Vermeer, a master of capturing light; and van Leeuwenhoek, the father of microbiology. During our discussions, we will be guided by the author as discoveries in optics and their imaginative use shaped these two great geniuses of Delft and changed the course of art and science forever. Join us as we learn how the extraordinary intersection of their genius awakened our perceptions of how we see the world.