When Robert Pirsig suggested that science was traditionally concerned with truth, while art was traditionally concerned with beauty, he was both right, and wrong. Science and art appear to be very separate studies, but they also rely heavily on each other. The Greek word for art is techne, which the words technique and technology are both surprisingly derived. Both of these words are widely used and applied in both scientific and artistic practices. Artists and scientists alike study people, materials, culture, history, and religion, and transform the information they research into something else. Both science and art involve investigation, ideas, and testing, whether in a laboratory or studio. .
Navigation has commonly been called a "scientific art" because it involves not only the scientific knowledge of the celestial bodies and development of navigational instruments, but also an art in the skillful interpretation of the available data. Leonardo da Vinci is perhaps the best example of a scientific artist. Da Vinci is best known as an artist whose works were created through scientific investigation. Da Vinci's notebooks, which are displayed at art museums around the world, are not only works of art, but also scientific investigations into the realms of his own scientific world which were highly misunderstood during his lifetime. Da Vinci intently studied the human anatomy and physiology in order to more accurately represent human expression and gesture. The relationship between art and science is fundamental in the creation and communication of human beauty and truth. It has been proven throughout history that science and art cannot exist without each other, enduring a constantly changing and evolving relationship.
Although science and art are very similar in many aspects, the two disciplines also possess many stark differences. Although both are used to express ideas and theories, sometimes misconceptions can be made due to the similarities in their expressions.