Skip to main content

Week 2: Math + Art

After watching and reading this weeks material I was surprised by the information that I had learned. I had been aware that math had been included in art but I wasn't sure to what extent. It started as early as 200 B.C. with the use of zero and in the 13th century with Giotto using linear perspective to create depth. Although it wasn't an exact mathematic formula it still embraced the basic concept. More than anything geometry is used in order to create the basic formulas and changes in perspectives for paintings and drawings. The geometry can be seen in something as simple as a tile floor, the entire image can shift just depending on the observers perspective. The golden ratio can be seen in art ranging from buildings to portraits and is a key formula to artists.



One image I found particularly interesting was Piet Mondrian and his use of only lines to create a beautiful painting. He portrayed how simple mathematics and geometric shapes could be put together to form something bigger. His work showed how different perspectives can be taken on his painting and it could depict reality and nature. His work helped me understand how mathematics can be used in art with his use of geometric shapes and straight lines. He also used the golden ratio in almost all of his work which is a very important mathematical concept used in most artwork.


Artists use math to help guide the perspective of the observer and realistically depict objects. Even with shapes such as circles and squares they can either be regular or irregular. In order to be regular they need to calculate the volumes first. Math and art may seem like to polar opposite ideas but can be seen working together in almost any painting, it all depends on the way you want to look at it.
















Works Cited

Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics Pt1." Mathematics Pt1. Online, Los Angeles. 9 Apr. 2016. Lecture.

 Palmer, Lauren. “History of the Golden Ratio in Art.” Artnet News, 2 Oct. 2015, news.artnet.com/art-world/golden-ratio-in-art-328435.

 France-Amérique. “Piet Mondrian: Realism and Abstraction.” France, 22 Nov. 2016, france-amerique.com/en/event/piet-mondrian-realism-and-abstraction/.

“Flatland.” Flatland, by E. A. Abbott, 1884, www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/eaa/FL.HTM.

 “Fine Artist Playing with Interactivity, Math, Code.” Nathan Selikoff, nathanselikoff.com/.

Comments

  1. Diane ZhaoApril 13, 2019 at 2:47 PM

    I love the image that you used for Piet Mondrian and your interpretation of it! I find it fascinating how a lot of abstract art utilizes the most basic shapes that we see in everyday life, yet when put together with mathematical and artistic principles in mind, they become beautiful images that mean so much more.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

In this weeks lecture videos professor Vesna describes the fairly new fascination of artists with the brain. She explores the idea of the conscious and unconscious and how our brains behave differently in each of these states. Scientists have been intrigued by the thought of consciousness and how long we as humans have been living a conscious life. Ramon Y. Cajal and Franz Joseph Gall were critical in showing us how the brain looked. Gall created the idea of phrenology and that the shape of someone skull indicated which part of your brain was working the hardest. The idea was later disproven but did provide a basis for future studies. Joseph Gall was credited with understanding the microscopic nature of investigation of the transmission of neural signals and of neuronal degeneration and regeneration. The tree like connection patterns he found are not only beautiful but are also extremely important. 95% of what we dream is forgotten, you dream every single night yet only some nig...
2 comments
Read more

week 9: Space + Art

This week we learned about a subject that humans have always been fascinated by: space. Ancient astronomers trying to make sense of everything a named every planet, each planet also had its own meaning. Carl Sagan in his video "The Pale Blue Dot" was instrumental in bringing information of the cosmos to the public eye. In the 17th century astronomers finally created a telescope which began a whole new era for studies. Now when we talk about astronomy it is both on the macro and micro scale, from here we see nanotechnology playing a role in space exploration. In the lecture Professor Vesna discusses the importance of animals in cosmic science. After all they were the first ones to go to space. Russia sent a stray 13 pound mutt up into space and from that they monitored her to see how the body may react differently in space. Although the dog only survived for 6 days and ended up dying after a system failure. It is interesting to me how willing they were to send an animal ...
1 comment
Read more

Week 4: Medtech + Art

The traveling exhibit of body world brings attention to all the natural beauty present in our human bodies. It uses preserved human bodies and a technique called plastination to show what is present underneath our skin. This show is extremely popular and is able to educate on the anatomy of the body while serving as a work of art. It allows people to see what their bodies are truly doing during movement. This reminded me of when I was in 6th grade and I had to get an MRI on my knee. I remember being scared and having to lay in the big loud tube. A few weeks later I was presented with the picture of my knee that was able to reveal all my muscles and joints and what was going on beneath what my eye could see. Just how the exhibit of body world was able to expose the human anatomy my MRI did the same thing. Another interesting form of art resulting from the human body was the visible human project. They uses male and female cadavers where they used sections of the body and then ...
1 comment
Read more