BiodivAquArt tracks aquatic fauna in artworks

Aquatic Biodiversity in Art (BiodivAquArt) is a study in historical ecology, intended to better understand the evolution of aquatic ecosystems in Europe since medieval times. Now, from time immemorial, paintings and works of art have been full of representations of fish, mollusks and other crustaceans. Since 2017, a team of scientists from MIO and TELEMME has been probing the information lurking in the paintings. And is now counting on participatory science to expand its gallery!

This kind of idea often happens by chance. One day, hydrobiologist Thomas Changeux took a look at a 17th century painting shown to him by a colleague. The monumental canvas, on display at the Louvre Museum, is signed by the Flemish painter Frans Snyders. Above all, it caught his attention because it was full of fish and marine animals, the subject of our scientist's studies.
The idea then arose: to use works of art to study the ecosystems of other eras. But also to measure the interest of the man for these species. It's not completely new," says Thomas Changeux, "others before us have studied the climate from the skies and clouds in paintings, for example.

For internet searches, the keyword "still life"

From 2017, the project is being set up. Code name: BiodivAquArt (for aquatic biodiversity in art). At the helm: the tandem Thomas Changeux-Daniel Faget. Changeux, a specialist in fisheries studies and aquatic ecosystems, is deputy director of the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (MIO), part of the IRD (Institute of Research for Development) in Marseille. Faget, a historian of the Mediterranean marine environment, is a lecturer in modern history at Aix-Marseille University, attached to the TELEMME laboratory (CNRS). They will be joined by doctoral student Thomas Richard and post-doctoral student Anne-Sophie Tribot.

The quartet tracks down paintings (Italian, Flemish, and French especially), browses art books, and multiplies Internet searches using the keyword "still life". The period studied runs from the 16th to the end of the 18th century. "Before that, it is more difficult to identify the species because the representations are often symbolic and less realistic. Although as a symbol of Christianity, fish is a recurring subject. As well as water, which is present in many baptism scenes," explains Thomas Changeux.

Sorting out the truth from fantasy

The analysis must be fine, taking into account, for example, the place reproduced and the painter who signed the work because these supports are rarely scientific. "Depending on whether it is the North Sea or the Mediterranean, the species differ. We know that orange darnes refer to salmon and therefore to the Atlantic or the North Sea. On the other hand, cephalopods and mollusks are mostly painted in the Mediterranean. There can also be surprises with artists who happily mix saltwater and freshwater fish in their compositions. "We can observe incredible associations with cetaceans, porpoises, turtles," says Anne-Sophie Tribot.

History and ecology sometimes get involved. Thus, freshwater fish were much more often represented than their saltwater counterparts in the 16th and 17th centuries. Then the trend was reversed. "Because many ponds were drained to fight malaria and free the peasants from fevers. Similarly, the religious fervor will go down, "analyzes the team of Biodivaquart.

"With the exception of certain scenes of fishing or mythological representations, the species are rarely represented in their natural environment, still emphasizes the female team. They are mostly dead, exposed on stalls or in kitchens.

Information on sturgeon and red mullet

Today, some 300 paintings have been selected and then analyzed according to the methods of quantitative ecology (bonus), which makes it possible to establish statistics from testimonies or characteristics of a past situation. These statistics give trends that will then be interpreted in the light of current knowledge.

This inventory has already led to several hypotheses. On the sturgeon, for example, this species, which was highly valued (for its eggs and its flesh) and therefore intensively exploited, has seen its representations become rarer over time. On the other hand, trigulates (gallinettes, gurnards...) multiplied between the 16th and 18th centuries. "The trawl fishery that developed from the 15th century onwards certainly brought more of them to the shelves," deduced Thomas Changeux. Other individuals have still not been identified, and simply attached to a group. "We prefer to be less precise than to make mistakes," comments Anne-Sophie Tribot.

Article by Nathania Cahen, October 27, 2021 on the Marcelle website

https://marcelle.media/2021/10/27/biodivaquart-traque-la-faune-aquatique...