Alchemy and psychology of science Alchemy is a very popular theme in Flemish painting school; David Teniers, one of the Antwerp major artists, draw a number of pictures describing common beliefs about alchemist’s life and habits which are not so far from the modern view on scientists. Certainly, in those times alchemy was a one of other sciences. In modern time alchemy became popular and seriously treated after Carl Jung works [2] where alchemic receipts were interpreted as psychological processes of individuation.

Firstly let me describe a general plan of the picture [1]. The main object is seated white bearded elder on the right foreground. He is lit much more than the rest, what is not possible by light from outside, the luminance is painter’s hint. Catching the man and concentrating a few we see contrasting left foreground. Scattered are buckets there. Focusing on right and left alternatively our attention falls on the center of the image – a table with a lot of books. The both background and foreground draw an oval around it, hence, an accent is here. The whole oval with the table in the center and the man in the spike of it is blowing in a crucible in the right corner, to supply it with air, via bellows (as usually, main person forcible is not seeing on the main object. The alchemist looks in a space, plunges into contemplation). The protagonist is old, strangely dressed, but his face is naïve and astonished as befitted scientist. He evidently does not perceive a life around, exactly as Jung explained: people do not distinguish internal and external, they project internal states on the matter and it’s changing; everything is related to the opposite: first thing alchemist must to do is to change himself. A mess of vessels, jugs, flasks and trunks in the left corner represents debris of scholarly life; scientists are weird persons, which do something mysterious, complicated and not understandable. Background consists of many assistants, without them the work is not possible; however what do they do is not clear at all. Possible, slackly do a mechanical work without concentration, pouring from one vessel into another, talking about rumors. The table in the center with books and notes is the center of alchemy; the notes will be given to the next alchemist, to continue the research. The trace of Science is only written texts, may be accompanied with history, mystery and scientific folklore. So, who is a good scientist? He should be involved in a problem he is doing now. The problem becomes a part of him. Everyone who had done some art or science work can approve my words: successful and completed oeuvre changes yourself a bit. When you finish such a deal, especially magnum opus, your psychic attitude receives something new and loss another. Because of that art is a good therapy. This line is completely parallel to Alchemy philosophies. What qualities possesses a good scientist? At least he has some kind of charisma – science is the modern magic for the most people. Scientists not often reveal internal tension, like depression, desperation [3] to reach an answer on a problem, jumps of hope and hopeless when he is so close to a solution but something happens and all his theories clash down. So, each scientist is experienced in such a spiritual life. Therefore, he must to overcome them, to get a control on the psychic – what is exactly a goal of alchemic routines, according to Jung – complete the individuation and dominate feelings. More, we have to have a distance between us and the rest of the world, as this elder on the picture. However sometimes we need friends to talk with them to relax (I think the guys on the table in the background are the friends). I would like to finish with a quotation of Jung, which exactly fits the psychology of a scientific process: "I am therefore inclined to assume that the real root of alchemy is to be sought less in philosophical doctrines than in the projections of individual investigators. I mean by this that while working on his chemical experiments the operator had certain psychic experiences which appeared to him as the particular behavior of the chemical process […] He experienced his projection as a property of matter; but what he was in reality experiencing was his own unconscious. In this way he recapitulated the whole history of mankind's knowledge of nature." (Part 3, Chapter 2.1). References: [1] Source of the image: http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/media/magazine/articles/30-3-the-secrets-of- alchemy.aspx?page=3 I was trying to find the author name, but what I found is only “Detail from An Alchemist’s Laboratory”. Follower of David Teniers II. [2] Jung, C. G. (1944). Psychology and Alchemy. [3] Interview with John Horton Conway http://www.ams.org/notices/201305/rnoti- p567.pdf