This week I read a chapter about the impact of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species on the arts, specifically on the works of a well-known artist in Mexico: José María Velasco.

It made me think too much about the relationship between the art and science that the great Mexican landscape painter José María Velasco had and this can be seen in his great works. Regardless of his religious beliefs and political views, his works were the result of an interest and work between art and science.

José María Velasco is a symbol of Mexican identity, he was the greatest exponent of landscaping, he created beautiful works of art that portrayed the beautiful places in Mexico, places that today have become immobilized and have been captured in the excellent and delicate works of Velasco. Many name him as “Prominent Painter” or “Architect of the Air”.

This chapter reflects very well how Darwin's theory and his ideas are especially significant and have had a profound influence in the fields of biology and natural history, but also in the artistic field. They influenced many thinkers, not only scientists, but also artists, philosophers, anthropologists, sociologists, musicians, etc. And how the analysis of these ideas can help us understand certain aspects of painting and art that are only explained through knowledge of his theories.

This can be seen in Velasco's paintings, in which he conceived different geological periods that follow a scheme accepted in paleontology, his incredible landscapes of the Valley of Mexico and his work on the metamorphosis of the Mexican axolotl, in which he details very well the structures, development and behavior of axolotls.

In his paintings for the Museum of Geology, Velasco does not show any conflict with the theory of evolution. Velasco does not thematize the controversy over the possible descent of man, on the contrary, the distinction between Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens that he painted in one of his works follows Darwin's opinion, that there is something more intellectual in the latter species, or that there is a difference in the morphology and behavior of both, for example, language.

It is very curious how Velasco must have been aware of the debate on Darwinism in Mexico and how it was known more for the descent of man than for The Origin of Species, since the latter had less provocative impact for Catholic countries and little scientific tradition, in addition to the fact that Darwinian ideas arrived in Mexico very late, due to the social and political problems that existed at that time.

It is very striking how one can infer, based on his paintings, the method or way in which Velasco observed what he painted, whether landscapes, animals, plants or objects, in order to capture every detail and knowledge of them in his works.

He had a very meticulous way of working, he observed, analyzed photographs and engravings of many well-known works, wrote down his observations and gathered a lot of information about the object he was painting.

For example, Velasco's study on the axolotl obeys the rules of comparative biology, it focused on the morphological and anatomical aspects of the axolotl, analyzing its structure, development, relationships with the environment, its customs and behaviors. Velasco experimented with 70 specimens and he said that he needed to make the necessary expeditions to get a good study of the object and thus obtain a good painting.

Even Velasco wrote his observations at a time when Darwinism could not yet provide a satisfactory explanation for the metamorphosis of the axolotl, since genetics did not exist. And something very fascinating is that these analytical observations confirmed that the metamorphosis was due to the genuine development of these animals and that the axolotl and salamanders are two different genera, that the axolotl was not the larval state of a more developed form, but only a different gender.

This shows us something brilliant, that at a time when Darwinism could not yet give an explanation for the metamorphosis of the axolotl, the observations and descriptions of this incredible painter exposed the nature of the axolotl, Velasco being a man of science and as mentioned the chapter, he is presented as one of the most distinguished Mexican zoologists of the 19th century.

In addition, Velasco painted many works from the Valley of Mexico, it was one of his main themes. He painted from different places, heights and times of the year. He gave great importance to the natural environment of the Valley, expressing the historical sense of the place, the fauna, the flora, the characters and the geological precision of the area.

Even his works from the Valley of Mexico show that he already had an ecological concern, something that until not long ago was recognized as one of the most urgent priorities on the planet.

I found this relationship between Darwin and Velasco's work very interesting, in which his coexistence with both art and science is emphasized. Velasco's vision was like that of a scientific illustrator, he had incredible talent as a visual artist and as an observer and scientific worker.

This reading made me reflect and understand much better that arts and science are not opposed. That we should not always focus on a single area of work, but on several, since this broadens our vision and panorama of the world in which we live. That we should not close ourselves off or have prejudices about how we work to obtain knowledge within science or any other discipline.

The work within science is so diverse and can come from different places, ideologies, visions, life stories, perspectives, professions, etc. This shows us the interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches that science and art have. Without a doubt a fascinating article about the works of Darwin, an exceptional scientist, and the works of an extraordinary Mexican artist.

Here you can see some examples of his work. His paintings are wonderful!

Thank you very much for reading, tell me what you thought of it. What was your favorite work by Velasco?

Chapter mentioned:

Phaf-Rheinberger, I. (2011) Darwin and the work of José María Velasco. A scientific-artistic vision, in Barhona, A., Suárez, E. and Rheinberger, H. J. (Eds), Darwin, the art of doing science. Mexico City, Mexico: National Autonomous University of Mexico, Faculty of Sciences: 225-244.