"All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge," wrote Albert Einstein. In Structural Intuitions, a fascinating exploration of the commonalities between two seemingly disparate realms, renowned art historian Martin Kemp applies Einstein's notion both to science and to art. Kemp argues that in both fields, work begins at the intuitive level, curiosity aroused by our recognition of patterns or order. Kemp's "structural intuitions," then, are the ways we engage fundamental perceptual and cognitive mechanisms to bring order to our observed world. Through stimulating juxtaposition, Kemp considers connections between naturally occurring patterns, cognitive processes, and artistic and scientific expression, drawing on an array of examples from the Renaissance through the present. Taking a broadly historical approach, Kemp examines forms and processes such as the geometry of Platonic solids, the dynamics of growth, and the patterns of fluids in motion, while placing the work of contemporary artists, engineers, and scientists in dialogue with that of visionaries such as Leonardo da Vinci and D'Arcy Thompson. Richly illustrated, lucidly written, and wonderfully thought-provoking, Structural Intuitions is essential reading for anyone seeking insight into common ground in the arts and sciences.

マーティン・ケンプは、レオナルド・ダ・ヴィンチ研究の権威として、芸術と科学が本来一つの根から生じていることを情熱的に説きます。本作の核心は、アインシュタインの言う直感的知識がいかにして世界の隠れた秩序を掴み取るかという点にあります。自然界の幾何学的なパターンを読み解く、人間の根源的な認知メカニズムへの深い洞察は、まさに圧巻の一言です。 ダ・ヴィンチから現代の工学までを縦横無尽に結びつける筆致は、知的な興奮を鮮烈に呼び覚まします。成長の力学や流体の動きが、いかにして芸術の魂と共鳴するのか。その深遠な繋がりを解き明かす本書は、私たちの世界の見方を根底から再定義する、知の輝きに満ちた傑作と言えるでしょう。