The juxtaposition of math and art has long been used to
demonstrate to completely different areas of creativity and intelligence. While many still believe in the distinctness
of these two realms, I have always appreciated some similarities in the deep
roots of mathematics and art.
In general, art and math originate from observations of
nature. Art hopes to replicate or
interpret the aesthetics of nature, while math tends to model and derive patterns
in nature. From the overview of African
Fractals by Ron Eglash, I was introduced to fractals, which are patterns that
repeat themselves at different scales.
This was modeled in design, computers, art, etc. but is seen everywhere
in nature, as shown in the image of the fern below.
Because of this, mathematical concepts such as the Vanishing
Points, explained by the Marc Frantz lesson “Vanishing Points and Looking at
Art”, which use geometry and mathematical principles to predict artistic
dimensions follow naturally. Because
nature is the source of mathematics as well as the source of our visual
experience, concepts like vanishing points can be applied to artistic style to
provide a natural image/artistic experience, as demonstrated by the charcoal picture
below.
In direct contrast to concepts like vanishing points that
provide art with a more realistic perspective, artists like M.C. Escher who
like to bend the perspective of the observer to unrealistic mathematical manipulations
provide a whole new era of art. In the
blossoming of modern art in the mid 1900s, he introduced “an extraordinary
visualization of mathematical principles.
One example of this was his tessellations, or “arrangements of closed
shapes that cover a plane without overlapping”, which he distorted as in Cycle from 1938 (as seen below)
Through these distinct demonstrations of art and math
originating from nature and math helping art imitate and distort one’s
perspective of nature, we notice that art and math are not so distinct, but
rather deeply intertwined in all ways.
References
Ach, Sanjay. Real Lady Ferns.
2007. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
Eglash, Ron. 'African Fractals'. Ccd.rpi.edu.
N.p., 2015. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
Frantz, Marc. 'Lesson 3: Vanishing
Points And Looking At Art'. 2000. Presentation.
Platonic Realms,. 'The Mathematical Art
Of M.C. Escher'. N.p., 2015. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
Great overview of the interactions between math and art! However I would have liked more of your personal analysis on the subject :I For instance, what do you think about the use of math in the realm of more creative works? Some of Escher's peices rely heavily on fitting the illustrations to a fixed perspective or pattern such as the self-protrait reflected on the orbs, or the tesselations you mentioned above. Does conforming the work to these restrictions of a repeating pattern or certain distorted perspective add to the art, or does it restrict some of the freedoms of the peice and limit some of the artist's creative freedoms? The tesselations in particular can come across as shallow, such as Sky and Water I (1938). What if the fish does not want to turn into a duck, and visa-versa? Other than that, very good post. All the best!
ReplyDeleteI really like the work by M.C. Escher. It is just amazing. I like Dutch art and I became a big fan for this Dutch graphic artist since very young. Did you also looks at his other works. He is very good at making design from woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints.
ReplyDeleteBut I actually have a question on it. He was trying to explore infinity during some his art works. As we all know, infinity is something could not be represented in math. But when he bring this concept into the graphic art, I sort of accept this idea and feel like infinity is another amazing world. I want to know what is your opinions on infinity.
I really enjoyed reading your post and seeing your input. The pictures you chose really caught my eye, especially the one by M.C. Escher. I find his work to be mesmerizing and mind-blowing. I really like how you found the connection between arts and science and expanded upon the topic. Seeing how art is used to reflect nature intrigued me. Everything originates from nature, and artists subconsciously use it in their art.
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