This week’s lecture and
reading were enlightening about the connection between Math and Art. Linda
Henderson’s article about the 4th Dimension and Non-Euclidian
Geometry in Art further hammered home Artists dependence upon Math to be
successful. I particularly enjoyed Henderson’s description of French Surrealist
painters in the 1930s who notably employed non-Euclidian geometry in their work.
French Surrealism is one of many examples of how Math infiltrates Art.
Perhaps the best example
of the Third Culture is Leonardo da Vinci. He was the ultimate Renaissance man.
On the one hand, he studied math and science, but he also painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. I was most interested in the Golden Ratio. This
technique used in painting was found to be particularly aesthetically pleasing,
and The Last Supper is a great
example. This 1: 1.618 ratio is found all over nature, and Da Vinci used it to
call special attention to Jesus amongst the twelve disciples. The Golden Ratio,
Phi, is a solution to the quadratic equation. For thousands of years
mathematicians and artists alike have explored the numerous places this number
is found.
In school we are often taught that painters’ work is inspired by
some emotional
connection or based on the artists own life, which often is
true. This week’s
lecture opened my eyes to how artists use left-brain concepts in
their creative
pieces. Da Vinci and others may be inspired by artistic
influences to paint
masterpieces, but it is their mastery of mathematics that
make the paintings famous.
"Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometry." Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometry. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.
Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. "Leonardo," Vol. 17, No. 3. (1984), Pp. 205-210. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
History.com Staff. "Leonardo Da Vinci." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2009. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.
"What Is Phi? (The Basics of the Golden Ratio)." The Golden Ratio Phi 1618. N.p., 16 May 2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.
Images:
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/the-son-of-man.jpg
http://www.goldennumber.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/last-supper-phi-golden-ratio.gif
http://cp91279.biography.com/1000509261001/1000509261001_2083614505001_Bio-Biography-Leonardo-da-Vinci-SF.jpg
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