Step 4: Rendering with a « sincere hand »

After having done all the observations necessary, it is time to inscribe everything on paper. Scientific illustrations are essential to share knowledge, to record evidence of what has been done, and can help to reinforce one's arguments. The codes of scientific depictions certainly influenced painters, directly or indirectly.

Scientific drawings try to be as objective as possible, in order to recreate the thing exactly as it has been observed. Furthermore, its didactic purposes lead to represent the most important characteristics of the specimen studied. In Micrographia, Hooke speaks of depicting "with a sincere hand and a faithful eye".

The crafting of pictures by Jan van Kessel the elder expresses the same concern. He did numerous oils on copper, a medium that was particularly useful for small-size depictions, precision and careful rendering. The insects he represents are true-to-life, a fact accentuated by the representation of their shadows. Van Kessel also used scientific illustrations to depict exotic insects that he was not able to see in real life. The small paintings he made were probably mixed in the cabinets of rich collectors with animal specimens, precious shells and other curiosities from the natural world.

Examine the meticulous depiction of insects in this small oil on copper painting which was probably used to decorate drawers

The white background of the painting recalls botanical and anatomical illustrations. It helps to focus on the insects represented. White higlights on the beetle shell and on the body of the fly, as well as the cast shadows, give texture and volume to the representation. The specimen are represented from top or profile, in order to see them in the best possible way. The brush strokes are hardly visible and the result is particularly smooth. Interestingly, the depiction of the fly is really similar to Hooke's engraving. Nevertheless, moving away from scientific representation, a sense of vitality emerges from van Kessel's paintings.