Abstract

The present sharp division lines drawn between the arts and sciences represent an historical anomaly. For centuries, artists were among the premier observers of nature and, as in the case of Leonardo da Vinci, were sometimes also scientists or engineers themselves. The range of artists' observations is impressive and includes the overall climatic environment, the colors of the sky, many of the atmospheric optical phenomena, cloud forms, and even indications of changing weather situations (Gedzelman, 1989). There are numerous cases in which artists depicted atmospheric phenomena long before they were identified by scientists.

© 1990 Optical Society of America