Clara and Crawly Creatures: A Renaissance Exhibition on Art, Nature, and Perception Shifts

This exhibition explores the changing perception of small creatures like spiders, toads, and ants in the 16th and 17th centuries. It showcases how these beings transformed from symbols of fear and decay into subjects of wonder and artistic fascination during a period of significant change in arts and sciences.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, a profound shift occurred in how small creatures such as spiders, toads, and ants were perceived. Once widely associated with the devil, sin, and death, these 'outcasts of creation' became the focus of spellbound artists and scientific inquiry. This exhibition delves into this transformation, illustrating how these 'little beasts' moved from being symbols of horror and decay to becoming objects of wonder and detailed study. Through the lens of Renaissance art and the burgeoning sciences, visitors will witness how artists began to paint these creatures with new appreciation, uniting art and nature within the context of the Kunstkammer. The exhibition also highlights the detailed observations made by figures like Maria Sibylla Merian, who meticulously studied Surinamese insects, and the emergence of 'Sottobosco' as a distinct genre dedicated to depicting these fascinating subjects. It ultimately celebrates the 'small print in the book of nature' and the miraculous transformations revealed through a new way of seeing.