The theoretical part of the master's thesis defines the field of illustration, focusing on scientific illustration, which was of key importance in researching, naming and classifying living beings at the time of the great world discoveries in the 16th and 17th centuries. In addition, the text explains colour nomenclature and provides insight into the work of several illustrators who played a crucial part in the development of natural science and the formation of a holistic view on biodiversity. Furthermore, we present the researchers, authors of the earliest encyclopaedias about the living world, who even included some creatures of fiction as part of reality. The most commonly described beasts were dragons, the starting point of the practical part of this master's thesis.
Based on the definitions of dragons and their manifestation in different cultures, we present a series of illustrations that depict some of the dragons in their natural habitats and draw on the works of some of the great illustrators of the previous centuries. The illustrations lay the foundation for the dragon exhibition, which was inspired by the cabinets of curiosities, the predecessors of today's museums.
|
