Images of the Cell in Twentieth-Century Art and Science

This essay examines the use of images of the cell in both science and art. In the twentieth century, many new imaging techniques have made intracellular structures more and more visible. The author examines several images of the cell drawn from scientific sources, to illustrate how the biologist’s view of the cell has changed over time and how these images, like works of art, have aesthetic qualities. Many twentieth-century artists, beginning with the surrealists, have also used cellular forms in their work. Wassily Kandinsky is one artist for whom there is particularly good documentation relating to the influence of scientific cell images on his work. Diego Rivera painted realistic cells in several of his murals. The abstract expressionists were also interested in cellular forms, and this interest continues in the work of several contemporary artists. In this survey, images of the cell from art and science are found to complement each other and to enrich our understanding of the basic unit of life.