I am going to the library today to get this book through an interlibrary loan. (At over $200 it is too pricey to buy):
_Key Texts of Johann Wilhelm Ritter (1776-1810) on the Science and Art of Nature_ It is a translation of J. W. Ritter's work. I just learned about Ritter last month while reading about Goethe. He died poor and young at 33. Ritter is credited with the discovery of ultraviolet radiation about a year after Herschel discovered infrared radiation. (Goethe suggested to Ritter that he look for something beyond the violet.) I am looking forward to reading Ritter's essay: Physics as Art. Like many scientists (i.e. natural philosophers ) of his time he was interested in electricity, galvanism and batteries. Apparently he performed electrical tests on himself to learn about the electrical nature of the nervous system. Some speculate the self-experimentation may have contributed to his early death. Jocelyn Holland (who translated Ritter's work from german to english) says of him: Ritter writes that only through the presence of the observer can painting become a complete embodiment of the artistic act. The observed act of artistic creation in the medium of painting “summons” the observer to “complete [the embodiment]” and “proclaims to him the beginning of a new individual activity.” Wikipedia page on Ritter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wilhelm_Ritter Harry
