On Cartographers’ Fears of Blank Spaces ****************************************************************************************** * On Cartographers’ Fears of Blank Spaces ****************************************************************************************** On the 28th of March 2018, Professor Chet Van Duzer from the Stanford University (Californ the guest lecture “With Savage Pictures Fill their Gaps: Cartographer’s Fears of Blank Spa University’s Faculty of Arts‘ central library. The main thesis of the lecture was based on the observation that European maps from the si early eighteenth centuries contain significant spaces filled with what appear to be ‘decor is a possibility that this inclination could have sprung from cartographers’ horror vacui, blank spaces. Although some scholars do not support this thesis, Professor Van Duzer regar to re-examine this alternative. Various maps from different periods during this time frame by his lecture. Maps were filled with items such as imagined creatures (e.g. monsters) and objects (e.g. banners). In fact, Professor Van Duzer dedicated a book to one aspect of thi ‘Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps’ (2013). The lecture was conducted with questions and answers during, as well as after the presenta interesting part of the discussion concerned the very idea of horror vacui; and whether it necessarily be attributed to the cartographer. It was not uncommon for maps of the time to commission, therefore someone like the patron could have had input on what was included on it is possible that horror vacui may alternatively be attributed to the patron. Another alternative is that perhaps the existence of those ‘decorative’ elements on maps h with horror vacui, but were instead associated with the cartographer’s or the patron’s art which may have followed the ‘decorative’ trend of the time. It is indeed possible to find that time containing items of a similar kind. When Professor Van Duzer was faced with the question of what could be used as a measure of he suggested that density may be an option. It is observable that empty spaces were filled ornaments. However, one cannot help but to ask if there is anything else that could justif of those objects on the maps? Again, perhaps it could be explained merely as a fashionable time. Towards the end of the lecture a further observation was made, namely, that horror vacui s (i.e. ‘decorative’ elements decreased) during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in consider Nicolas Samson’s maps). According to Professor Van Duzer, the idea is that maps c perceived more as scientific tools. If this is the case, it would be interesting to find o any correlation between this and the scientific developments (and religious beliefs) of th words, could a change in the conception of the world be associated with the way cartograph At the end of the lecture, students asked further questions, including what was the price day? Who could afford it? Professor Van Duzer provided insight regarding these questions, remarks on the topic, including that maps had different functions, such as educational, de orientative. These insights pointed to the attractive and fundamental question of: what is map?