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Math and Art


Mathematics and Art

The importance and prevalence of mathematics in our world can be seen in our everyday lives. Literature, economics, and technology are few of the countless categories that have been impacted/developed through the incorporation of math. This week’s lecture by Professor Vesna has revealed to me the extent to which math impacts art.

Perspective Painting

Math and Art have been heavily correlated with each other throughout history. For example, the use of geometry to develop perspective in art, allows for reproduction of reality in artworks such as the Last Supper by Da Vinci.


The Last Supper

Da Vinci was a reputable for his incorporation of mathematics in art. His use of perspective, which uses the science/math of optics, geometry, and physics, is what makes his artwork so realistic and engaging. However, his employment of the “Golden Ratio”, which Professor Vesna explains “brings about a harmonic effect in artwork” fascinated me the most.
Mona Lisa Golden Ratio

The photo above is an example how Da Vinci used the Golden Ratio in Mona Lisa. I initially had no idea that this world-renowned painting incorporated mathematics at all. I accredited Da Vinci’s realism to his precision in the details of Mona Lisa’s facial expression. Little did I realize that there was so much more.

Fourth Dimension
Another influence math has had on art is incorporation of the 4th dimension in abstract art. This concept paved artistic expressions of various artists, especially surrealists, futurists, and cubists (Gersh-Nesic). Henderson called this higher dimension “the symbol of liberation for artists” which is also evident in Abbot’s Flatland, a novel that displays the limitations of, yet opportunity to discover more, dimensions. Abbot’s concepts also reflect Astronomist Zollner’s spiritual definition of the fourth dimension, which, too, manifests the interaction of math and creativity.

This week’s lesson and Da Vinci’s artworks reveals how widespread math can be in artwork. The magnitude to which math can be utilized for the purpose of beautifying and enhancing artworks is truly remarkable. However, the relationship between arts, sciences, and math can sometimes be difficult to realize. But it is imperative to recognize that math and art should not be mutually exclusive practices, but rather combinatorially utilized to for enhancement of both.

Works Cited
Abbott, Edwin. Flatland: a Romance of Many Dimensions. Dover Publications, 1953.
Ambrosio, Chiara. “Cubism and the Fourth Dimension.” Tandfonline, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 29 Nov. 2016, www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03080188.2016.1223586.
Banchoff, Thomas. “From Flatland to Hypergraphics: Interacting with Higher Dimensions.” Edwin A. Abbot, Brown University, 1990, www.math.brown.edu/~banchoff/abbott/Flatland/ISR/.
Castellanos, Joel. “What Is Non-Euclidean Geometry.” NonEuclid, Joel Castellanos, www.cs.unm.edu/~joel/NonEuclid/noneuclidean.html.
Gersh-Nesic, Beth. “How Artists Have Portrayed the Fourth Dimension.” ThoughtCo, Lifelong Learning, 15 Jan. 2018, www.thoughtco.com/art-history-definition-the-fourth-dimension-183205.
Zöllner, Johann Karl Friedrich, and Charles Carleton. Massey. Transcendental Physics: an Account of Experimental Investigations from the Scientific Treatises of Johann Carl ZöLlner. Colby & Rich, 1881.

Bibliography
Abbott, Edwin. Flatland: a Romance of Many Dimensions. Dover Publications, 1953.
Ambrosio, Chiara. “Cubism and the Fourth Dimension.” Tandfonline, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 29 Nov. 2016, www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03080188.2016.1223586.
Banchoff, Thomas. “From Flatland to Hypergraphics: Interacting with Higher Dimensions.” Edwin A. Abbot, Brown University, 1990, www.math.brown.edu/~banchoff/abbott/Flatland/ISR/.
Castellanos, Joel. “What Is Non-Euclidean Geometry.” NonEuclid, Joel Castellanos, www.cs.unm.edu/~joel/NonEuclid/noneuclidean.html.
Da Vinci, Leonardo. The Last Supper. Le Grazie Milano, 1490, Santa Maria delle Grazie , Milan.
Da Vinci, Leonardo. “Mona Lisa.” Wikipedia, 1503, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa.
Gersh-Nesic, Beth. “How Artists Have Portrayed the Fourth Dimension.” ThoughtCo, Lifelong Learning, 15 Jan. 2018, www.thoughtco.com/art-history-definition-the-fourth-dimension-183205.
Güzeldir, Paylaşmak. “Perspective Painting.” Arithpo, 4 Aug. 2017, www.arthipo.com/artblog/en/drawing-techniques/basic-principles-of-perspective-drawing-1-diminution.html.
Palomashaloma. “Mona Lisa Golden Ratio.” Pinterest, Dec. 2011, www.pinterest.com/pin/177962622750096525.
Zöllner, Johann Karl Friedrich, and Charles Carleton. Massey. Transcendental Physics: an Account of Experimental Investigations from the Scientific Treatises of Johann Carl ZöLlner. Colby & Rich, 1881.

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 16, 2018 at 11:19 PM

    I too had no idea the Mona Lisa could incorporate such detail to the degree of mathematics! I had thought it was a random painting that gained fame for the simple face of the subject. Though now I have learned the same insight you have about art: a lot of diverse, creative thought is put into many pieces.
    Also, I enjoyed your perspective painting image, as I think it depicts the captivating use of geometry in art very well; it is focused onto a point due to the added perspective of realistic vision.

    ReplyDelete

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