The book had its origin in public lectures given by Marcolli, at a bookshop near the California Institute of Technology, where she works as a professor.
[2] Lumen Naturae overviews many recent developments in mathematics, physics, and art, finding in many cases "fluid analogies" rather than more direct correspondences.
[1] Reproductions of nearly 250 artworks are included,[3][4] together with the author's interpretation of these works and their connections to the scientific topics she discusses.
[3] Readers are encouraged to read what they can, and skip the rest;[1] reviewer Victor Pambuccian writes that it is "likely to have something very unexpected to say to any reader, regardless of expertise",[6] and Garcia calls it "ideal for someone with a basic knowledge of art, art history, physics, philosophy, and/or mathematics".
[4] Reviewer Paul Campbell praises Lumen Naturae as "extraordinary, fascinating, and astonishing", particularly calling out the wide breadth of topics that it covers, and the many references to art and art theory that it provides for greater depth of coverage of its topics.