Math is an often overlooked aspect of art. It is the foundation of many art pieces and is the driving force in some of the art advancements that have occurred throughout history. Additionally, art has been essential to much of math's conceptualization. This week's lecture sought to reveal the relationship of art and math. Buckminster Fuller believed that we are all born as geniuses, and the educational system "de-geniuses" us by teaching us that art and math have no relation. Geometry drove one of the most basic art concepts, perspective, as demonstrated by Brunelleschi who coined linear perspective. Before perspective, portraits and other art works were less realistic and by incorporating these math concepts, art was taken to another level. The golden ratio is another example of mathematical elements that make it possible for art to be increasingly realistic and visually pleasing.
The golden ratio is demonstrated in the Parthenon.
Leonardo Da Vinci is someone who truly mastered the balance of art and math. His works like the Last Supper, the Vitruvian Man, and the Mona Lisa are excellent examples of how he brought the two worlds together and today we still look to them for their astounding influence.
The Vitruvian Man brought light to the relation between the body, nature, and architecture.
In my opinion, math sets out to define the world around us, while art represents and depicts it. Therein lies the juxtaposition between them and also the beauty of their codependence.
References
Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” 12 Apr. 2015. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>
"Vitruvian Man, The Proportions of a Human Figure." Leonardo Da Vinci. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://www.davincilife.com/vitruvianman.html>.
"Golden Ratio." Golden Ratio. MathsIsFun.com, 2014. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/golden-ratio.html>.
"Leonardo Da Vinci." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
Wander, Rodrigo. "Origami." Origami. Minhateca, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://minhateca.com.br/Rodrigowbs/BR+DeepWeb/Apostilas/Apostilas+de+Japon*c3*aas/Origami>.
Your explanation of math and art working together was really clear and you used great examples. You then talk about art and science as different entities and explain why they work well separately but do you believe that they shouldn't be merged together then?
ReplyDeleteI also thought that the Parthenon was a great example of artists using math to improve their artwork. I agree with Buckminster Fuller's idea that our education system harms our creativity when it separates art and math instead of showing how they can be used together.
ReplyDeleteYour description of the juxtaposition between math and art was profound. I also believe that Leonardo da Vinci was someone who demonstrated the coexistence of math and art in our world.
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