The camera and similar instruments are friends to both artist and scientist alike. Besides capturing the beauty and oddity of the world around us, photographic equipment is also a powerful data-gathering tool. For a breathtaking union of photographic art and science, look no further than NASA and the Hubble Space Telescope. The powerful telescope that "sees" in visible, infrared and ultraviolet light has taken astronomical research to new heights in the 20 years since it began operating. Its archive of more than half a million celestial pictures is a vast database for researchers and a source of awe for a curious public.
An accurate rendering of the human form requires a scientific understanding of the mechanics of motion. Classic Greek and Roman artists mastered this art form in idealized sculptures of the human body. Leonardo da Vinci --- the ultimate Renaissance man who pursued both the sciences and the arts --- created the still-iconic drawing known as the "Vitruvian Man," which explores bodily proportions and geometry. Biology plays a role, too, in portraiture, and even in the rendering of human emotion on film. The study of facial expressions and underlying emotions makes for authentic reproductions of human behavior.
Artists have long been depicting the natural forms of the Earth, and so too have scientists. Most geologists have experience sketching land and rock formations while they are conducting field research. Plein-air artists adopt a similar working environment, painting landscapes in the great outdoors. In this art form, the natural sciences are most evident. Georgia O'Keeffe's brilliantly detailed images of red poppies, petunias, irises and other flora display not only her renowned abstraction, but also technical expertise. Like the botanist dissecting plant parts in his laboratory, landscape artists come to intimately know their subjects in the natural world.
Art authentication is a deeply scientific arena. Art historians are the forensic experts of their field, able to deduce critical bits of encoded information and historic markers within works of art. Scientific inquiry, such as microscopic examination and carbon-dating processes, helps art historians learn the provenance of unidentified pieces and more about long-studied classics. Scientific examinations strengthen the art world as experts are able to root out copy-cat works and forgeries.