Deep Affinities

Deep AffinitiesIn this thought provoking book, Philip F. Palmedo, a former physicist who now writes on art, reveals how the two defining enterprises of humankindart and scienceare rooted in certain common instincts, which we might call aesthetic: an appreciation of symmetry, balance, and rhythm; the drive to simplify and abstract natural forms, and to represent them symbolically. Palmedo traces these instincts back to a very early time in human historydemonstrating,

the people who see your pictures are bound to feel the same way

about the photographer and authors

of light and shadow

The authors open our eyes (and introduce our palates) to tea-tasting

Lionni—who had begun as a painter—also maintained a fine art practice centered on his Parallel Botany

and Simone de Beauvoir gracefully support her points

informative text

Among the hundreds of illustrations are a dazzling foldout review of Earth’s geological and evolutionary history and an eight-page extravaganza on India’s rich floral heritage

the Lower East Side

It depicts the interior of St

courtiers like Christine de Pisan

special features