Week 2: Mathematics and Art
Art and mathematics are two concepts that are very connected - you see mathematics in art and you use art in mathematics. Artists use the skills and theories of mathematics in order to create and develop a better understanding of higher dimensions, in a space and existence that can not be observed. As covered in Vesna’s lecture, I thought the emphasis on perception and its importance in art and mathematics was very interesting. Perspective was not displayed in art until Giotti’s work in the 13th century, yet perspective is critical to create depth in artwork and mathematics. Brunelleschi introduced the concept of the vanishing point, which is used commonly in artwork, yet he had to use mathematical rules to support this vanishing point rule. Using perspective and concepts such as the vanishing point have greatly contributed to artwork and mathematics both, and have proven the connection between the two.
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| The idea of perspective and vanishing points. |
Another interesting concept that was covered was the Golden Ratio, which was referred to as the ultimate connection between mathematics and art. I found it very captivating to look at paintings as well as architecture that follow the Golden Ratio, because at first glance, the observer may not notice this detail, but once apparent, it is amazing how relevant the concept is all over society. Examples include the Parthenon, the Mona Lisa, and the Vitruvian Man, which is a piece of artwork that portrays the ideal of human proportions with geometry. The Vitruvian Man blends mathematics and art together so smoothly, and relates the human body to the universe as a whole. The juxtaposition of math and science in this piece of artwork by Leonardo da Vinci truly captures the connection of the two cultures we talked about last week.
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| The Vitruvian Man that portrays ideal human proportions. |
The reading “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion” also stood out to me, as it discussed how the fourth dimension is a symbol of liberation for artists, encouraging artists to experiment outside of our three-dimensional world. Just as a Flatlander would not be able to imagine a three-dimensional world, we cannot comprehend the higher dimensions of our world.
Seen through many historical figures and pieces, the relation between math and art continues today. Literature today, such as novel The Da Vinci Code, continues to explore and reintroduce these topics. In my high school calculus class, we had to do a project that related math to something in society. Groups presented on a variety of topics, from fractals and origami to the calculus required in crochet, confirming the relevance between mathematics and art.
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| The hyperbolic plane (mathematics) represented through crochet (art). |
References:
Abbott, Edwin. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. Print.
Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in ModernArt: Conclusion.” Leonardo, vol. 17, no. 3, 1984, pp. 205–210., www.jstor.org/stable/1575193.
Nargi, Lela. “6 Math Concepts Explained by Knitting and Crochet.” Mental Floss, 13 Sept. 2016, www.mentalfloss.com/article/86016/6-math-concepts-explained-knitting-and-crochet.
“Study of Proportions According to Vitruvius, Leonardo Da Vinci.” HellenicaWorld, www.hellenicaworld.com/Art/Paintings/en/Part13793.html.
“Vanishing Point.” From Wolfram MathWorld, mathworld.wolfram.com/VanishingPoint.html.
Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>
Hi Audrey,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post for this week's topic. It was interesting to read all this new material that reinforced just how integrated art and math/science is. Most people, including myself, would have never guessed that famous artists like da Vinci used the Golden Ratio for his paintings. It ultimately makes sense now that we have been exposed to the Golden Ratio, but for someone who has never heard of it, would assume that these artists just grabbed a canvas and starting painting. However, we know that it is more complicated than that. Moreover, I liked how you talked about your high school calculus class and how you had a project that brought art into the equation. Most schools do not integrate such disciplines, so it was nice learning about your experiences and how there are schools and literature out there trying to educate and spread this interconnectedness. Overall, great post!
Best,
Mariana.