Friday, April 14, 2017

Unit 2: Math + Art

The Parthenon in Athens, Greece
with the golden rectangles.
Courtesy of: http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/
Though I am familiar with mathematical concepts, I never made the connection between art and math.  Mathematical definitions such as the golden ratio aren't just equations on a page - this golden ratio was used in historical art pieces, dating back to 440 BC, where golden rectangles were used for the space between columns in the Parthenon in Athens (uconlineprogram).  Artists took advantage of mathematics centuries before math was accepted world-wide.  They still use math to help create their artistic visions. According to physicist and art historian Richard Taylor, artists such as Jackson Pollock, who specialized in abstract art, utilize fractal geometry, where a single geometric pattern is repeated thousands of times at different magnifications, giving random yet beautiful behaviors (Oullette).  

 The sculpture “À La Recherche” (shown below) not only utilizes the geometry of spheres and squares, it also uses mirrors' optical properties of reflection to spell out, “Find the lost times” in French (“À La Recherche, 2015”).   Without mathematics, this sculpture would not exist. Through math, art was made, and through art, a message provokes the audience to reflect on everyday life.  I have learned about optics in physics, but I never knew that optical properties can be used to create art, let alone instill a thought-provoking message.
"À La Recherche" in Les Bains, Paris.  This sculpture uses optical properties
from mirrors to spell out words on surrounding walls with reflected light
as seen in the image on the right.
Courtesy of: https://artcom.de/
This is an origami fish with 400
scales made from one uncut square
paper, folding only.
Courtesy of:  https://pbs.twimg.com/
Though artists utilize mathematics to help them create innovative visions, the task of “learning the other’s culture” is not just for artists.  For instance, many mathematicians fawned over and learned from artist M.C. Escher’s artwork which include intricate mathematical concepts such as complex polyhedra and projective geometry, which Escher performed without any mathematical training (“The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher.”).  Additionally, scientists use art to bring about their creative visions as well.  For example, the art of origami is used for scientists’ development of telescopes, which uses a specific folding pattern in origami to allow a flat ring/disk of the telescope to fold down to a compact cylinder (Lang).  As a result, I learned that the learning curve of each other’s craft goes both ways.  The juxtaposition of art and science isn’t merely a side-by-side comparison. Instead, each is a component of the other, because these two subjects build off of each other and work together to create imaginative designs.

References:
  1. uconlineprogram. "Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 9 April 2012. Web. 13 April 2017.
  2. Oullette, Jennifer. "Pollock's Fractals." Discover Magazine. Kalmback Publishing Co., 01 Nov. 2001. Web. 13 Apr. 2017. <http://discovermagazine.com/2001/nov/featpollock>.
  3. "À La Recherche, 2015." ART+COM Studios.Web. 13 Apr. 2017. <https://artcom.de/en/project/a-la-recherche-2/>.
  4. "The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher." Mini Texts. Platonic Realms. Web. 13 Apr. 2017. <http://platonicrealms.com/minitexts/Mathematical-Art-Of-M-C-Escher/>.
  5. Lang, Robert. "The Math and Magic of Origami." TED .Feb. 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2017. <https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami>.
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 15, 2017 at 7:44 PM

    I like how you described art and science as a component of each other to create amazing designs. The sculpture “À La Recherche” you introduced here was a typical example of the integration of arts and physics and math is undoubtedly the basis of physics. Indeed, sculptures and architectures are some of the most explicit examples of the combination of both art and math.

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  2. AnonymousApril 17, 2017 at 1:10 PM

    I also did not realize how connected math and art were until we began learning about it in this class. I think it's very interesting how the math we learn in our classes aren't just "equations on a page", like you said, but they have implications for the real world and can be visually observed in real life. The most obvious kind of math we can observe would be geometric shapes in art, but even in artwork like Jackson Pollock's, he utilizes fractals, which I never would have guessed to have a connection with math.

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  3. AnonymousApril 19, 2017 at 12:31 AM

    Hi Katherine,
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights into the symbiotic relationship between art and mathematics. I was drawn to your post because of your image of the origami fish. When I was younger, one of my favorite hobbies was making paper crafts, and one of my goals (that I sadly never achieved) was to create one such complex structure. It's cool to see how even a seemingly mundane arts and crafts activity can have its basis in mathematical concepts such as geometry and patterns.

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