On February 6, the Clark Memorial Library hosted the conference Early Modern Skies—organized by Bronwen Wilson (UCLA), Lyle Massey (UC Irvine), Vin Nardizzi (UBC), and Tiffany Jo Werth (UC Davis)—that brought together scholars from Canada, Italy, France, and the United States to share and compare their research on how the heavens were studied, utilized, and depicted from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Co-sponsored by UCLA’s Edward W. Carter Chair in European Art, the event featured wide-ranging and richly illustrated presentations on weather, atmosphere, navigation, the sun, moon, and stars, explored through painting, poetry, and the sciences.
Scholars packed the Clark’s beautiful Drawing Room, aptly beneath its magnificent and intricate ceiling, for the talks and discussions. During breaks, attendees explored rare items from the Clark’s collection related to early modern astronomical discoveries and celestial speculation, with librarians offering expert guidance through the items.
Revisiting early modern understandings of the sky, air, and celestial bodies—in the visual, verbal, and technical arts of the past—offered many fresh and inspiring perspectives on contemporary environmental concerns.
-Wendy Feng, Comparative Literature PhD candidate, University of California Davis