By Krista McCracken
World map by Heinrich Bèunting, 1581.
You ask for directions from a friend. They respond by drawing you map. The map you are given is hurriedly scribbled on the back of a napkin. At the time you graciously thank them for the effort. But, when you have to actually use the map you realize the jumble of crossing lines lacks proportions and is far from clear. The map makes you wonder about your friend’s ability to think logically.
The act of creating a good map is both a science and an art. Good maps can provide directions, details about landscapes and say a great deal about the world around us. Good maps illuminate the important details while minimizing distractions and extraneous information. Poorly designed maps are often frustrating, confusing, and at times misleading. The science behind maps can easily been seen in modern surveying techniques and commonly used cartographic standards.
What about the artistry of map making? The earliest maps fall more into the category of works of art than works of science. When cartographers had neither the geographical or cartographic knowledge to make accurate maps artistic license was used to express worldviews in map form. Maps during the middle ages and renaissance eras were often aesthetically pleasing and closely related to painting. Many of these early maps were in fact landscape paintings drawn with new perspectives. Continue reading
