How Darwin changed the world…of art

Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science and the Visual Arts explores Darwin’s profound influence on artists in the nineteenth century, going beyond ‘traditional’ examinations of Darwin’s life and work to encourage a radical reappraisal of nineteenth-century art. 

Pairing world-renowned masterpieces with historic scientific material, Endless Forms will feature nearly 200 objects and works of art from around the world, many of which are on public display in the UK for the first time.

Jane Munro, co-curator of Endless Forms and Keeper of Paintings, Drawings and Prints at the Fitzwilliam, said: “'Today, when science and art are generally considered as separate domains of intellectual and creative achievement, the notion that Darwin's ideas might have influenced the arts is perhaps surprising at first. Yet the implications of his revolutionary ideas of evolution by natural selection had a profound effect on society at large, putting in question man's relationship to the natural world and challenging the understanding of what it meant to be human. As this exhibition sets out to show, artists were in no sense immune from this.”

These short podcasts will complement this ground-breaking exhibition by providing a host of opinions on the ideas raised within.

For this series of podcasts, the Fitz has enlisted the expertise of prominent scientists, historians, writers and Darwin specialists from Cambridge University and beyond, who will each discuss a different aspect of Darwin and his influence.

Investigating topics as diverse as Darwin’s student life, images of our ancestors, monkeys and the missing link, nineteenth-century anthropological photography, Darwin and female sexuality, and modern-day creationism, these podcasts will illuminate crucial issues raised by Endless Forms, through a striking range of artworks from around the world. In July, the series will also include exclusive interviews from the Cambridge Darwin 2009 Festival, which draws together expert speakers from around the world in a celebration of Darwin.

Added Munro: “We’re delighted to be able to offer these podcasts, and I’m equally pleased that so many expert scholars from across the disciplines were enthusiastic about being involved with the project, which provides a range of 'alternative voices' surrounding the exhibition. This series will, I hope, really enhance the public's enjoyment and appreciation of Endless Forms.”

Go to www.darwinendlessforms.org/podcasts/ to hear Endless Forms co-curator Jane Munro introducing the podcast series, and Professor Jim Secord discussing the 19th century's fascination with images of prehistoric Earth, as well as Darwin's own early passion for geology.