Tribute to an astronomer: the work of Max Ernst on Wilhelm Tempel

[en] In 1964-1974, the German artist Max Ernst created, with the help of two friends, a series of works (books, movie, paintings) related to the astronomer Wilhelm Tempel. Mixing actual texts by Tempel and artistic features, this series pays homage to the astronomer by recalling his life and discoveries. Moreover, the core of the project, the book Maximiliana or the Illegal Practice of Astronomy, actually depicts the way science works, making this artwork a most original tribute to a scientist.

Disciplines :

Art & art history
Arts & humanities: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Space science, astronomy & astrophysics

Author, co-author :

Nazé, Yaël ; Université de Liège > Groupe d'astrophysique des hautes énergies (GAPHE)

Language :

English

Title :

Tribute to an astronomer: the work of Max Ernst on Wilhelm Tempel

Publication date :

May 2016

Journal title :

Journal for the History of Astronomy

ISSN :

0021-8286

Publisher :

Science History Publications Ltd.

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

115-135

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Commentary :

This is the accepted version (submitted version is on arxiv). Final version on editor's website.

Available on ORBi :

since 17 December 2015

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226 (15 by ULiège)

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338 (0 by ULiège)

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Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
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Bibliography

I.E. Soderlund, Taking Possession of Astronomy (Stockholm: Center for history of science at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 2010)
Y. Nazé, Art et Astronomie - impressions célestes (Paris: Omnisciences, 2015).
J.L.E. Dreyer, "Obituary: List of Fellows and Associates Deceased Tempel, E. W. L., " Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 50, 1889, pp. 179-182
G.V. Schiaparelli, "William Tempel, " Sidereal Messenger, 8, 1889, pp. 257- 262
Iliazd, L'art de voir de Guillaume Tempel (Paris : le degré 41, 1964)
L. Clausnitzer, Wilhelm Tempel und seine kosmischen Entdeckungen (Berlin-Treprow, Archenhold- Sternwarte Berlin-Treptow Vorträge und Schriften Nr. 70) (Berlin: Archenhold-Sternwarte Berlin-Treptow, 1989)
S. Bianchi, A. Gasperini, D. Galli, F. Palla, P. Brenni, and A. Giatti, "Wilhelm Tempel and his 10.8-cm Steinheil Telescope, " Journal of the astronomical History and Heritage, 13, 2010, pp. 43-58, and references therein.
W. Tempel, "Note on the Nebula near Merope, " Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 40, 1880, p. 622 and references therein.
W. Tempel, "Fernere Beobachtungen der Planeten (64) und (65), " Astronomische Nachrichten, 55, 1861a, p. 63.
W. Tempel, "Name des Planeten (65), " Astronomische Nachrichten, 55, 1861b, p. 93.
W. Tempel, "Entdeckung eines Planeten. Schreiben des Herrn Tempel an den Herausgeber, " Astronomische Nachrichten, 58, 1862a, p. 207
W. Tempel, "Name des von Herrn Tempel entdeckten Planeten (74), " Astronomische Nachrichten, 58, 1862b, p. 255.
W. Tempel, "Entdeckung eines Planeten. Schreiben des Herrn Tempel an den Herausgeber, " Astronomische Nachrichten, 63, 1865, p. 127.
A. Manara, "Controversie e curiosità sulla nomenclatura dei piccoli pianeti, " Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana, 68, 1997, pp. 679-686.
L.D. Schmadel, Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, 6th ed., vol. 2. (Berlin: Springer, 2012) and references therein.
B.A. Gould, "New Planet (12) Victoria, " Astronomical Journal, 1, 1850, p. 134
W.C. Bond, "Letters to the Editor (Asteroid Name), " Astronomical Journal, 1, 1850, p. 139
J.R. Hind, "Letters to the Editor [Asteroid Names, Elements, Observations], " Astronomical Journal, 1, 1850, p. 151.
R. Luther, "Über die Namen der neuesten Planeten, von Herrn Dr. R. Luther, " Astronomische Nachrichten, 55, 1860, p. 179
J.R. Hind, "On the Nomenclature of the Minor Planets, " Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 21, 1861, pp. 233-235, 234
G.F. Chambers, "Correspondence - The Minor Planets, " Astronomy Register, 4, 1866, p. 187.
C.A. von Steinheil, "Über die Namen der neuesten Planeten, von Herrn Ministerialrath Steinheil in München, " Astronomische Nachrichten, 55, 1861, p. 225 - von Steinheil had proposed one of the names.
W. Tempel, "Nébuleuses, " Les mondes, 1(2), 1863, pp. 178-180.
W. Tempel, "Über Nebelflecken nach Beobachtungen angestellt in den Jahren 1876- 1879 mit dem Refraktor von Amici, " Abhandlungen der Königlich Bohmischen Geselschaft der Wissenschaften, 7, 1885, p. 1, but also Tempel 1863, op cit. (Note 19)
Tempel W., "Schreiben an den Herausgeber, " Astronomische Nachrichten, 90, 1877a, p. 33
Tempel W., "Notes, " The Observatory, 1, 1877b, pp. 292-294
W. Tempel, "Spiral form of nebulae, " The Observatory, 1, 1878, pp. 403-405.
O.W. Nasim, "Observation, Working Images and Procedure: The "Great Spiral" in Lord Rosse's Astronomical Record Books and Beyond, " British Journal for the History of Science, 43(3), 2010, pp. 353-389
O.W. Nasim, "The 'Landmark' and 'Groundwork' of Stars: John Herschel, Photography and the Drawing of Nebulae, " Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 42, 2011, pp. 67-84
H. Sawerthal, "Notes on Visits to Some Continental Observatories, " The Observatory, 12, 1889, pp. 344-349
I. Roberts, "The late W. Tempel, " The Observatory, 12, 1889, pp. 406- 407.
E. Gautier, "The late W. Tempel, " The Observatory, 12, 1889, p. 442.
W. Tempel, "Observation de nuages, " Ciel & Terre, 3, 1883, pp. 513-516, p. 516.
J. Russell, Max Ernst - sa vie, son oeuvre, ed. de la Connaissance (Bruxelles, 1967) or U.Bischoff, Max Ernst, Taschen (Cologne, 1994).
M. Ernst, "Some Data on the Youth of M. E.: As Told By Himself, " View, 2nd ser., 1, 1842, p. 30, quoted in Russell 1967, op cit. (Note 29), and Stokes 1980, op cit. (Note 33).
L. Chimirri, "L'osservazione come arte, " in L'esercizio illegale dell'astronomia: Max Ernst, Iliazd, Wilhelm Tempel (Firenze: Centro Di, 2009).
A.H. Greet, "Iliazd and Max Ernst: '65 Maximiliana or the Illegal Practice of Astronomy', " World Literature Today, 56, 1982, pp. 11-18.
Scanned versions of the book are available online, e.g., on http://art.famsf.org/search?search- api-views-fulltext=maximiliana.
R.R. Hubert "Max Ernst: The Displacement of the Visual and the Verbal, " New Literary History, 15(3), 1984, pp. 575-606
H. Spielmann, Die geheimnisvolle Astronomie des Max Ernst - die Maximiliana, (Hamburg, 1996)
W. Tempel, "Meteorologia - aurora boreale osservata il 9 Aprile 1871, " Rendiconti dell'Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere, Serie III, IV, 1871, p. 228.
It is now freely available on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEyqDp5b2ok
Besides it, there are Max Ernst - Entdeckungsfahrten ins Unbewusste in 1963, Was ist ein Wald? Günther Lüders spricht Max-Ernst-Texte in 1974, Dorothea Tanning: Insomnia in 1978, and Max Ernst - Mein Vagabundieren, meine Unruhe in 1991.