Blinde van Descartes 1679

Sébastien Leclerc I created this print, "Blinde van Descartes," using etching techniques in the late 17th century. The image presents a philosopher, presumably Descartes, meticulously measuring a classical structure, seemingly oblivious to the verdant landscape behind him. In this period, the Royal Academy, and other institutions, were codifying artistic and architectural rules based on reason and mathematical precision. Leclerc here seems to critique the limitations of a purely rational, visually-centered approach to understanding the world. This print can be seen as a commentary on the shifting intellectual landscape of the time, where Enlightenment ideals began to emphasize empirical observation and reason, sometimes at the expense of other forms of knowledge. A deeper understanding can be achieved by researching the art academies that emerged in France and throughout Europe at this time and reading the writings of Descartes and his contemporaries. Through this process we can learn to appreciate how art is often in conversation with the dominant ideas of its time.