Week 2 Blog Post: Math & Art

This week’s material was intriguing to me. I never realized how much math is intertwined into the way we practice art. It was interesting to learn how mathematical ideas like fractals, vanishing point, and proportions can be found in legendary works of art. 

Many iconic art pieces and architecture followed the rule of proportions. The Mona Lisa was drawn according to the ratio of 1:0.618, which is the Golden Ratio (MathCentral.ca). This Is considered to be “aesthetically pleasing” in art as it is commonly found in nature and in the human body. Similarly, the Pyramids of Giza, the Parthenon, and the Vitruvian Man (by Leonardo Da Vinci) all contain elements of the Golden Ratio.

The Golden Ratio and how to use it in graphic design: https://99designs.com/blog/tips/the-golden-ratio/

We also learned about fractals and how they intertwine between math, art, and nature. Fractals are a mathematical shape that are infinitely complex; they are a pattern that repeats over and over again, smaller and smaller each time, yet very similar to the overall pattern as a whole (Iternal.us). They are images of dynamics systems – essentially, photos of chaos (Fractalfoundation.org). This mathematical idea helps us visualize naturally-occurring chaos in our world through art and media. 

Exploring Fractal Patterns: https://medium.com/re-write/exploring-fractal-patterns-e161081f9723

Lastly, we learned about linear perspective. The term was  added to the Webster dictionary in 1602, and yet we saw understandings of it portrayed in art pieces way before then (Desma9 Lecture, Week 2). Vanishing point is the concept that parallel lines (in real life) all have the same “vanishing point”, or converging point in an image (Frantz, 2000). I know through experience that it can be difficult to encapsulate linear perspective on paper to make things look more realistic. And yet, somehow, artists found ways to incorporate math that describes our real world to make their art feel more real. I chose The Last Supper as my piece of art. It was created between 1494 and 1498, meaning Da Vinci at this point (and many artists) had already understood the concept of linear perspective but there was just not a formulaic way of describing it. It’s cool to see how math has been influenced by art, and vice versa. I think it is apparent that math and art are intertwined through nature, and therefore it’s impossible to separate the two from each other. 

A SINGLE VANISHING POINT IN LEONARDO DA VINCI'S THE LAST SUPPER: https://www.artmumble.com/single-vanishing-point-in-leonardo-da

References

Leonardo DaVinci and the Golden Section - Math Central. (n.d.). https://mathcentral.uregina.ca/beyond/articles/Art/DaVinci.html#:~:text=One%20very%20famous%20piece%2C%20known,found%20throughout%20the%20human%20body.

Lesson 3: Vanishing points and looking at art. (n.d.-a). http://www.cs.ucf.edu/courses/cap6938-02/refs/VanishingPoints.pdf

Lesson 3: Vanishing points and looking at art. (n.d.-b). http://www.cs.ucf.edu/courses/cap6938-02/refs/VanishingPoints.pdf

Mathematics-PT1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov. YouTube. (2012, April 9). https://youtu.be/mMmq5B1LKDg?si=0AD8iKTE5oNhMGw6

What is a fractal? - the ultimate guide to understanding fractals. Iternal Technologies. (2020, September 24). https://iternal.us/what-is-a-fractal/#:~:text=A%20Fractal%20is%20a%20type,many%20different%20aspects%20of%20life.

What is chaos theory?. Fractal Foundation. (n.d.). https://fractalfoundation.org/resources/what-is-chaos-theory/#:~:text=Fractals%3A%20A%20fractal%20is%20a,systems%20%E2%80%93%20the%20pictures%20of%20Chaos.