Week 2 - Math + Art

School of Athens by Raphael

Historically seeing math and art as two distinct subjects, it was not until taking an art history class my senior year of high school that I began to see the intersection of the two. As addressed in Professor Vesna's lecture on art and math and one of the sources provided, one of the first entanglements I noticed of the two was the use of a vanishing point in art, or more specifically, the art piece School of Athens. Having always viewed art as something abstract, this was the first I had seen of structure applied to art, let alone the use of parallel lines and convergence (terms I had previously only associated with mathematics).

Example of the Golden Ratio in products

The video, "Fibonacci Sequence, Fractals and 

Financial Markets," discusses further how art and mathematics relate to one another. The Fibonacci Sequence is closely related to the Golden Ratio, a proportion that describes the what is most aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. This application of math to art allows for the most optimal image to be created and is used today in many applications such as branding and advertisements.

Golden Ratio Explained

Theoretical Cube in Other Dimensions

The book Flatland discusses the concept of a 2D world where its' inhabitants are incapable of imagining the world in a higher dimension. This same idea could apply to us, living in a 3-dimensional world, not able to comprehend fourth dimension. However, some artists attempt to conjure up what this world would be like through the applications of math in their work. Though the two have their differences, maybe a culmination of math and art is in fact the key to imagining a fourth dimension.

Sources and Links:

http://i.stack.imgur.com/brSJv.png

http://www.webexhibits.org/sciartperspective/i/raphael5_medium.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaBD6Z6TOU

http://s3.media.squarespace.com/production/481327/5520108/_-eZ7FrlsPdc/SYXgMgSjCLI/AAAAAAAAA1A/XptOhTc-V3M/s320/dimensions.png

Works Cited:

Abbott, Edwin. “Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.” N.p., n.d. Web. 9 April. 2016. <https://cole.uconline.edu/content>.

Meisner, Gary. "Product Design and Logo Design Using the Golden Ratio."The Golden Ratio Phi 1618. N.p., 06 May 2014. Web. 09 April 2016.

Socioeconomics Institute. “Fibonacci Sequence, Fractals and Financial Markets.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 31 May 2007. Web. 9 April 2016.

Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. 9 April 2016. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>