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How did scientific discoveries influence Baroque landscape painting?

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Artemisia Gentileschi: Judith with Her Maidservant — Baroque art and architecture *Judith with Her Maidservant*, oil painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1618–19; at the Pitti Palace, Florence.

Scientific discoveries and global explorations during the 17th century significantly broadened human intellectual horizons, profoundly influencing the development of Baroque landscape painting.12

These advancements, particularly the Copernican displacement of the Earth from the center of the universe, fostered a new awareness of the human condition. This shift produced a dual sense of human insignificance and an appreciation for the unsuspected complexity and infinitude of the natural world.12

In response, artists began to portray humans as minute figures within vast, expansive natural settings. This artistic choice served as a visual expression of humanity's relationship to an almighty and overwhelming nature, reflecting the era's changing philosophical and scientific understanding of the universe.123