Week 2: Math and Art
Week 2: Math & Art
In this week’s lecture and readings, I learned that art and math influence each other much more than I thought. I didn’t realize how much artists use math in their work, whether this is intentional or not. For example, artists want to portray three dimensional shapes and things onto a two dimensional canvas, which requires mathematics (Vesna 9:44). Additionally, math can be considered a type of art because mathematics requires creativity and has an element of beauty to mathematicians. Many mathematicians therefore consider themselves artists (Werdann). Furthermore, the closeness between art and math can be shown through the idea of a fourth dimension. Physicists believe there is a possibility of a fourth dimension, and Einstein thought that this fourth dimension included time and space (Newcomb). Therefore, mathematicians and artists are both “‘working simultaneously on a metaphor for space in which paradoxical three dimensional experiences are resolved only by a four dimensional space’” (Henderson 209). This idea of a fourth dimension highlights the juxtaposition of art, science, and mathematics because all three disciplines are searching for the answers for different reasons. Therefore, the common goal of finding this fourth dimension shows how they are all related and similar in some way, but the different reasons for which they are trying to find the fourth dimension highlight their differences.
Vanishing Point (“What Is a Vanishing Point and How to Perfect It in Architectural Drawings?” Arch2O.com, 20 November 2011, https://www.arch2o.com/what-is-a-vanishing-point-how-to-perfect-in-architectural-drawings/. Accessed 10 April 2024.)
One artist that really demonstrates the necessity of math in art is Leonardo da Vinci. “Not only did Leonardo study the geometry of perspective but he also studied the optical principles of the eye in his attempts to create reality as seen by the eye” (Vesna 20:05). He also used the golden ratio to create his art. For example, this ratio can be seen in his famous Mona Lisa painting. The golden ratio occurs when “you take a line and divide it into two parts – a long part (a) and a short part (b). The entire length (a + b) divided by (a) is equal to (a) divided by (b)” (Pietroluongo). This ratio is equal to 1.618. This ratio has a visual appeal that many artists utilize; however, they couldn’t do this without math.
The golden ratio in the Mona Lisa (“Mona Lisa.” The Fibonacci Sequence, https://thefibonaccisequence.weebly.com/mona-lisa.html. Accessed 10 April 2024.)
Works Cited
Henderson, Linda D. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion.” Wikipedia, 1984, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1575193?seq=3. Accessed 10 April 2024.
Newcomb, Tim. “What Does the Fourth Dimension Look Like?” Popular Mechanics, 30 January 2023, https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a42709141/what-the-fourth-dimension-looks-like/. Accessed 10 April 2024.
Pietroluongo, Lindsay. “Design - The Golden Ratio: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding and Using It.” Elegant Themes, 14 September 2022, https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/design/the-golden-ratio-the-ultimate-guide-to-understanding-and-using-it. Accessed 10 April 2024.
Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics Part I.” YouTube, UC Online, 9 April 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg. Accessed 10 April 2024.
Werdann, Michelle. “Math as art.” University of Nevada, Reno, 25 August 2022, https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2022/math-as-art. Accessed 10 April 2024.
Hi Helene,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your well thought out blog response. I am interested to know more about the second picture you imported. Would this be a depiction of an object within the fourth dimension? I am not familiar with research regarding the 4th dimension and the point about it possibly containing time and space is very though provoking for me. Conceptually it is difficult for me to even understand how a someone could depict a fourth dimension in art if it would be something that exists in a finite time and space. I also wrote about the intersectionality between art and science as it related to Leonardo de Vinci work. I wonder why art that contains the golden ratio is visually appealing to viewers. I feel that it may be explained by the idea that individuals look at the world through a mathematical lens. We are always taking in statistics of things being equal or symmetrical so it would make sense that we would like art that also apples to us in that way.