Week 2 - Math + Art

Math and art have an interesting relationship that has similar appeal to the human mind. The unique interaction between the two occurs because the former consists of objective material and the latter, subjective. In math and science, there is a right and a wrong answer. Art however; is entirely subjective and open to interpretation. The relationship between these primarily began during the 11th century when Ibn al-Haytham wrote the Book of Optics in 1021 that introduced concepts like the light and color theory. This is significant in the history of the relationship between math and art because it began their marriage that helped bring minds like Brunelleschi to fruition, who composed a formula for linear perspective in 1413 and introduced objective and mathematically provable principles in paintings like vanishing points and scale. This is just one example of how this fusion of math and art grew stronger over time as al-Haytham tipped over the first domino that busted the door open to calculated art. Leonardo Da Vinci is considered the father of this math/art relationship, as the Golden Ratio Dr. Vesna spoke on is greatly present in his Mona Lisa and Vitruvian man. But, preceding and subsequent work that get declared revolutionary and groundbreaking has taught me that the evolution of art will never conclude. Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Marcel Duchamp each have their place in history and act as building blocks for future visionaries to further conscious and subconscious visual expression: art.

Marcel Duchamp's Fountain changed the way Art was understood in society. This was one of the most significant pieces ever understood by the world. It changed what people thought of as "art".

More modern artists are using technology in ways never conceived before and taking math's influence in art to a new extreme. People like Piet Mondrian have deconstructed the concept of painting and reduced it to simple primary colors and geometric relationships of lines and basic shapes that appeal to the human eye.

Piet Mondrian's Red, Blue, and Yellow (1930)

Art is not about making something look pretty, but rather making something appealing (positive or negative) by evoking some sort of internal response; but at the core, art is about one's curiosity with subject matter. This is the commonality that it holds with math which makes their bond so substantial. Both fields strive to discover and attempt what hasn't been done before.

Jeff Elrod's digitalized painting at the Simon Lee Gallery

This is why artists like Jeff Elrod are interesting to so many, myself included, because he uses a mixture of traditional painting and computer graphic design to access the subconscious and unveil shapes and lines that have never been seen before through what he calls, "Frictionless Drawing." Math and art are incredibly different, but the similarities that they do possess allow one another to react with such stimulation and volatility.

Sources

al-Haytham, Ibn. Book of Optics. 1021

 "Filippo Brunelleschi." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 11 Apr. 2016."Filippo Brunelleschi." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/filippo-brunelleschi-9229632#the-transition-to-architecture>. 

 Vespa, Victoria. "Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg>. 

 "Piet Mondrian and His Paintings." Piet Mondrian-paintings,biography,quotes of Piet Mondrian. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.piet-mondrian.org/>.

 "Jeff Elrod." - Artists. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.luhringaugustine.com/artists/jeff-elrod>. 

Images

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/images/work/T/T07/T07573_10.jpg

http://www.widewalls.ch/wp-content/uploads/05-Jeff-Elrod.jpg

https://lisathatcher.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/inspired_bei_mondrian_by_manshonyagger-d35kfou.jpg