Depictions of fluid phenomena in art

An analysis of representations of fluid flows in classical paintings reveals scientific inaccuracies. Some of these misrepresentations might be caused by a limited understanding of fluid

dynamics and others by deliberate artistic choices. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS

Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more

Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full

article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs *

Contact customer support REFERENCES * Ruskin, J. _The Critical Heritage_ (Routledge, 1984). * Cartwright, J. H. E. & Nakamura, H. _Notes Rec. R. Soc._ 63, 119–135 (2009). Article  Google

Scholar  * Dudley, J. M., Sarano, V. & Dias, F. _Rec. R. Soc._ 67, 159–164 (2013). Google Scholar  * Ornes, S. _Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA_ 111, 13245 (2014). Article  ADS  MathSciNet 

Google Scholar  * Stasenko, A. _Quantum_ 1, 8–12 (1990). Google Scholar  * Stiles, R. N. _J. Appl. Physiol._ 40, 44–54 (1976). Article  Google Scholar  * Fauve, S. in _Hydrodynamics and

Nonlinear Instabilities_ (eds Godréche, C. & Manneville, P.) 387–492 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1998). * Leissa, A. W. _Vibration of Plates_ Technical Report SP-160 (NASA, 1969). *

Rayleigh, L. _Proc. R. Soc. Lond._ 29, 71–97 (1879). Article  Google Scholar  * Ma, Y. & Zhu, D. Z. _J. Hydraul. Eng._ 146, 06020009 (2020). Article  Google Scholar  * Behroozi, F. _Am.

J. Phys._ 76, 1087–1091 (2008). Article  ADS  Google Scholar  * Hosseini, A. _Venti J._ 1, 75–85 (2020). Google Scholar  * Gupta, J. K., Lin, C.-H. & Chen, Q. _Indoor Air_ 20, 31–39

(2010). Article  Google Scholar  * Chandrasekhar, S. _Truth and Beauty: Aesthetics and Motivations in Science_ (Univ. Chicago Press, 1987). * Barrett, C. J. _J. Aesthet. Art Critic._ 41,

137–144 (1982). Article  Google Scholar  * van Dyke, M. _An Album of Fluid Motion_ (The Parabolic Press, 1982). * Zabusky, N. J. _Leonardo_ 48, 138–146 (2015). Article  Google Scholar 

Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author is grateful to A. Stasenko, whose article5 sparked a life-long interest in the subject of depicting fluid phenomena in art — the illustrations

of which have been used by the author in fluid mechanics classes both at the University of California at Santa Barbara and University of Alberta. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS

* University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Rouslan Krechetnikov Authors * Rouslan Krechetnikov View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Rouslan Krechetnikov. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The author declares no competing interests. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and

permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Krechetnikov, R. Depictions of fluid phenomena in art. _Nat. Phys._ 18, 1256–1259 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-022-01789-4 Download

citation * Published: 27 October 2022 * Issue Date: November 2022 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-022-01789-4 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able

to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing

initiative