Mathematics and art seem like two subjects on opposite
ends of the spectrum, and yet, as this week’s lecture indicates, they could not
be more related. Their extraordinary relation is embodied by how perspective is
used in art. For example, the use of vanishing point enhances the viewers’
experience and mimics reality in drawings, paintings, and the alike (Frantz) . The concept of
vanishing point is inherently mathematical and relies heavily upon understanding
of some basic Geometry.
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| Lines (which would be parallel in the real world) converging to a vanishing point. |
Art is not always required to make mathematics beautiful.
Sometimes mathematics creates beautiful art, as is the case with fractals. Mandelbrot Sets are an example of fractal sets which seem to replicate themselves when
you zoom in on a specific portion (Weisstein) . This same mathematical
concept is seen African art. The Fulani wedding blankets incorporate fractals
by using an iterative weaving pattern (Woolfalk) .
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| Mandelbrot Set |
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| Fulani Wedding Blanket |
MC Escher famously combined mathematics and art to create
truly timeless pieces. Escher was an artist who was not trained in mathematics
but somehow produced art that provided great “visualizations of mathematical principles”
(Smith) . Escher is also
famous for his works depicting scenes considered mathematically impossible. For
example, his lithograph, titled Waterfall,
depicts a perpetual motion machine. Escher uses Penrose triangles, which
are mathematically impossible, to create a waterfall that seems to feed itself (Ghiringhelli) . Such creations,
although technically impossible, challenge the artist, and the viewer, to
rethink their reality and truly explore the creative side of mathematics.
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| Waterfall by MC Escher |
Bibliography
Frantz, Marc. "Lesson 3: Vanishing Points and
Looking at Art." (2000). Web.
Ghiringhelli, Peter. Petergh. n.d. Web. 13
April 2018.
Smith, B. Sidney. Platonic Realms. 13 March
2014. Web. 15 April 2018.
Weisstein, Eric W. "Mandelbrot Set." n.d. Wolfram
Alpha. Web. 13 April 2018.
Woolfalk, Saya. CSDT.RPI.EDU. n.d. 14 April
2018.
Imagest
Weisstein, Eric W. "Mandelbrot Set." n.d. Wolfram Alpha. Web. 13 April 2018.
Woolfalk, Saya. CSDT.RPI.EDU. n.d. 14 April 2018.
I agree with you in how mathematics create beautiful art. Mandelbrot set is a great example of math creating art. I also think that you can see common mathematical equations reflecting in art pieces such as sinusoidal functions. Especially in use for vanishing point, it is clear that math and art cannot be considered as separate entities.
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