Unit 2: Math + Art



Mathematics is the language of nature. Almost everything you see can be described with mathematics, which is what makes it a truly universal language. The concept of mathematics, geometry, patterns, symmetry governs our visual and artistic worlds. As a mathematics minor, I have been familiar with the notion that math is closely interrelated with a lot of natural occurring phenomena. An example of a naturally-recurring mathematical phenomena is the Fibonacci spiral, pictured below.

Fibonacci spiral, closely related to the famous Fibonacci sequence.
From “The Fibonacci Sequence in Artistic Composition.”
Fibonacci spirals can be seen to perfectly trace out
the entire composition of the portrait. These spirals
can also be seen in other natural compositions.
From “The Fibonacci Sequence in Artistic Composition.”

As Victoria Vesna goes into detail about in the lecture video, Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of the Vitruvian man demonstrates the use of the Golden Ratio, a well known mathematical fraction. The Vitruvian Man is often used as a symbol for science and art; it quite literally is a work of art, made using important mathematical and geometric concepts. This iconic drawing influenced various other artists to incorporate more mathematics and geometrical symmetries into their art, revolutionizing the way that math and geometry is perceived in the artistic world.
Vitruvian Man, 1490 by Leonardo da Vinci.

The assigned reading, "Flatland", is a thought-provoking novella that makes the readers wonder what it would be like to experience a 4th spatial dimension. In this, I see a strong connection between math and art; an immense amount of thinking outside the box is required to try to picture a 4th dimension. This is a fascinating area of mathematics that overlaps with other sciences, and requires an vast amount of creative thinking and artistic capability to be able to comprehend. Creating art of what a possible 4th dimension would look like to us is only an approximation, we only experience life in 2 dimensions, we have no real idea what it would be like in 4 dimensions.


When juxtaposing math, science and art, one can realize that they are just two sides of the same coin. Math is heavily integrated in nearly every field in science, and math is also prevalent in nature and in art, even if it does not seem like it. Art is a fundamental aspect of mathematics just as mathematics and geometry is a crucial part of art.


                                                                   



Sources

  • Abbot, Edwin, A. Flatland. 1884.
  • “TED-Ed - Flatland.” YouTube, 4 Sept. 2014, youtu.be/MGv8MMi8QO0.
  • Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” YouTube, 9 Apr. 2012, youtu.be/mMmq5B1LKDg.
  • “The Fibonacci Sequence in Artistic Composition.” The Art Blog by Mark Mitchell, www.markmitchellpaintings.com/blog/the-fibonacci-sequence-in-artistic-composition/.
  • “The Vitruvian Man - by Leonardo Da Vinci.” Henri Matisse, www.leonardodavinci.net/the-vitruvian-man.jsp.

Comments

  1. Yi FengApril 16, 2019 at 3:52 PM

      I like your opinion on art and math that "Art is a fundamental aspect of mathematics just as mathematics and geometry is a crucial part of art." A lot of people think math is a form of art because of its beautiful flow of logic and well-written mathematical deductions. But why do they comment these features as "artistic" given that a lot fo the times art is abstract, emotional, and open-to-interpretation. Is there any thing fundamental in art that has powerful flows of logic and deductions? I think this might be another aspect worth discussing in terms of the relationship between art and math.

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