Week 2: Math + Art

Before watching Dr. Vesna’s lecture, I never thought about how much mathematics and art were connected. I thought of them as completely different subjects. However, I soon learned that math actually has a huge impact in creating more realistic art such as using perspectives, vanishing points, and the golden ratio (Vesna 2012). In the reading “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art”, Henderson talks about how artists are now furthering art even more via mathematics by going beyond the three-dimensional art that has been portrayed for centuries. The fourth dimension changes art so much, similar to how the introduction of perspectives, vanishing points, and the golden ratio changed art in prior centuries (Henderson 1984). This fourth dimension illustrates the continuous progression of art through its relation to science and math. Furthermore, the reading “Flatland” taught me that we cannot replicate and understand the world beyond what we can physically observe, similar to how someone who lives in a flatland cannot understand a three dimensional world. Therefore, we can potentially use mathematics to portray the complex higher dimensions through art that we otherwise would not be able to do (Edwin 1884).

What we think of as "Math"

(Woodie 2015)

What we think of as "Science" 

(Introduction to Science 2016)

What we think of as "Art" 

(Art 2016)

Using the Golden Ratio in Art - A combination of Math & Art 

(Nyberg 2013)

The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo DaVinci was a very familiar drawing that I’ve seen numerous times throughout my educational studies. This helped me understand the impact of mathematics in art and science because the proportions of the human body through geometry is what influenced many artists and architects in the 20th century (Vitruvian Man 2014). The human proportion perspective, in addition to the drawing, influenced artists such as Piet Mondrian and Charles-Edouard Jenneret (Vesna 2012).

The Vitruvian Man

(Vitruvian Man 2014)

This week, I learned about the huge influence that math has in the creation of different artworks and architecture. Without mathematics, our drawings would not be as realistic and expressive as they are today. Although we may not clearly see the juxtaposition of mathematics, art, and science right away, it clearly exists, as shown by the impact of mathematics on art and even the use of the human body as a proportional guide for many art pieces. Therefore, this juxtaposition of art, math, and science is necessary in continuing the development of art and architecture. It is unfortunate that art is not as central as it should be in our educational curriculum (Rehmeyer 2009). Perhaps with more awareness of the impact of art and its overlap with other subjects such as math and science, schools will incorporate art more into their curriculum. 

Using Math to Create Art

(Rehmeyer 2009)

Citations:

Abbott, Edwin. “Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.” N.p., 1884. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. <https://cole.uconline.edu/content>.

"Art." Connecticut College. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <https://www.conncoll.edu/academics/majors-departments-programs/majors-and-minors/art/>. 

Henderson, Linda. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art.” N.p., 1984. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. <https://cole.uconline.edu/content>.

"Introduction to Science." Imperial College London. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.imperial.ac.uk/evening-classes/autumn-spring-courses/courses-available/introduction-to-science/>. 

Nyberg, Jeanette. "Golden Ratio for Kids." Craftwhack. 07 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://craftwhack.com/golden-ratio-for-kids/>. 

Rehmeyer, Julie. "When Art and Math Collide." Science News. 16 Jan. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <https://www.sciencenews.org/article/when-art-and-math-collide>. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>.

"Vitruvian Man." Leonardo Da Vinci's Life. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.davincilife.com/vitruvianman.html>. 

Woodie, Alex. "Deep Gooses MySQL Performance with New Database Math." Datanami Deep Gooses MySQL Performance with New Database Math Comments. 07 Apr. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.datanami.com/2015/04/07/deep-gooses-mysql-performance-with-new-database-math/>.