| Title |
The Correlation between Illusory Representation in Baroque Space and Leibniz’s Scientific Concepts |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2025.41.11.193 |
| Keywords |
Baroque architecture; spatial illusion; perspective; Leibniz; Monadologie; principle of continuity; self-organization; unity and complexity |
| Abstract |
Baroque architecture, painting, and sculpture endow viewers with dramatic spatial experiences through sensory illusions and effects of
expansion that transcend physical space. These phenomena emerge from diverse perspectival techniques and optical illusions, and are closely
related to the scientific reasoning of the seventeenth century?particularly to the theories of Leibniz. At the core of Leibniz’s thought lies the
idea that being and space are not absolute substances but relational orders of coexistence. This perspective resonates strongly with the
Baroque conception of relational and dynamic space. Furthermore, his Monadology, which defines the universe as an assemblage of infinite
monads and describes each monad as a mirror reflecting the whole, parallels the Baroque principle in which individual elements reflect and
unify complexity. In addition, Leibniz’s principle of continuity and concept of self-organization provide a theoretical basis for the organic
transitions and integrative structures found in Baroque spatial composition. By examining these correspondences, this study seeks to clarify the
direct relationship between Baroque formative principles and Leibniz’s scientific concepts?thereby uncovering the concrete link between the
aesthetics and epistemology of the era and offering meaningful implications for contemporary philosophy of art and architectural theory. |