WEEK 2: Math+Art
This week we learned about the intersection of mathematics and art, another fostering of the "Third Culture" in our society. During the Renaissance period of the 1400s and 1500s, artists were praised and in-famed for their commissioned work, with which principles of math were unabashedly intertwined. The aspiration was that, with perfect mathematical dimensions, the works of art would give the most realistic and proportionally exact effect for all admirers.
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| In this unfinished "Adoration of the Magi" by Da Vinci, one notices the grid lines used to cause realist effects |
However, in our modern culture, math and the arts have gone through a stark division. People identify with one side or the other--perhaps they are even scared of the opposite spectrum. I personally am intimidated by numbers and calculations, but have challenged myself with 4 math-based courses in my first year here at UCLA. In this way, I seek to close the gap between my abilities in humanities subjects, and my aptitudes for scientific specialties.
Although people in general do see themselves as either creative, free-thinking, and artistic OR factual, mathematical, and scientific, there are artist's currently seeking scientific explanations to influence their work. For example, in The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion, the concept of a fourth dimension has been shown to be vital to 20th century art. The spiritual concept of the fourth dimension of reality, something otherworldly and 'felt' if one could breach three dimensional boundaries has helped artists to gain out-of-body experiences. However, the scientific concept of the 4th dimension as time, influenced by Albert Einstein's Relativity Theory, has also helped artists go beyond conventional limits and "depart from visual reality and to reject...the one-point perspective system that for centuries...portrayed the world as three-dimensional."
In even more obvious ways, art and math coincide in our world. "From the Great Pyramids in Egypt to the New York City skyline, mathematical concepts such as the Golden Ratio, measurement conversions, and basic geometric shapes" are used to create the art and architecture that we admire and function within every day. Math and art will continue to go hand-in-hand, especially with the rise of technology. The separation of math and art will hopefully be dissolved, with artist's taking pride in their scientific incorporations, and scientists taking note of aesthetics and artistic beauty in natural observations and experiments.
Works Cited:
"Leonardo Da Vinci." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
"4th Dimension Explained." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
"Mathematics and Art: An Unlikely Connection." Calculus I Blog. N.p., 19 Feb. 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
Dalrymple-Henderson, Linda. "The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art." JSTOR. MIT Press, n.d. Web. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fdiscover%2F10.2307%2F1575193%3Fuid%3D2%26uid%3D4%26sid%3D21106427753743>.
I share the same sentiments about the division between math/art. Any time I see the sheer number professions and fields Da Vinci was able to mix together during his day, I always wonder why we cannot do the same. As you have mentioned, mathematicians and artists usually don't cross paths. I sometimes wonder if that's the case because everyone just wants to have ONE special skill that they are good at (which is usually what gets us jobs). If we're really good in one thing, there comes a tendency to just stick with doing what we're good at. It's difficult to shift gears and suddenly combine or jump to another field unless we are passionate about the material in the first place. In education, because each subject is taught on its own (math class = learn math), that also makes it more difficult for people to see connections between one subject and another.
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