Week 2: Math + Art

An insight I learned from Linda D. Henderson is about the development of how when artists understand how upcoming discoveries within geometry help guide “the art and critical literature of the early modern era [will] regain unity and a level of meaning that has long been lost” (Henderson 206).

A way math has influenced art and science is Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man.” Using the concept of geometry and human anatomy “Leonardo demonstrated that the ideal proportion of the human figure corresponds with the forms of the circle and the square” (Encyclopedia Britannica, "Anatomical Studies and Drawings") and by watching Ali Rahman’s TedTalk I learned how “fractals are patterns that repeat themselves at every scale their beauty, derives from the symmetry and sophistication of their design” (Rahman 3:19).  

[Figure 1] Math is the intersection of art and science

An example of an art piece that relates to how math influenced art is M.C. Escher’s “Relativity Stairs”. The piece represents many fractals that show self-similarity of the repeated staircases at different scales. Escher's art may seem challenging but "mathematicians have pointed out that Escher’s art often deals with hyperbolic geometry" ("Top 5 Expressions of Mathematics in Art").

[Figure 2] M.C. Escher Relativity Stairs

This week I learned how important it was for artists to often refer to the human figure as the source of proportion for classical proportions of architecture and that they were looking at the human body in relation to geometry in relation to the space we inhabit in order to create their compositions. Typically using the  “Vitruvian Man” with his "feet firmly on the ground and stretches out his arms, he can be contained within the four lines of a square, but when in a spread-eagle position, he can be inscribed in a circle" (Encyclopedia Britannica, "Anatomical Studies and Drawings"). Not only did the "Vitruvian Man" make a pathway for artists, engineers, etc., to find the right proportions but it also "became an iconic image, often reproduced in art, science, and commerce" (Encyclopedia Britannica, "Vitruvian Man").

[Figure 3] Leonardo Da Vinci Vitruvian Man

There are many ways in which math has influenced art and science, but my approach to explaining the juxtaposition between math, art, and science would be to start by explaining the Golden Ratio and how fractals have influenced artists such as M.C. Escher to use patterns and self-similarity within their art. 

Works Cited

“Vitruvian Man.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 10 Apr. 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/Vitruvian-man.

“Anatomical Studies and Drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Leonardo-da-Vinci/Anatomical-studies-and-drawings. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.

“Math Is the Intersection of Art and Science | Ali Rahman | TEDxYouth@Columbus.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Dec. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKiDjN9qVuI. 

“Top 5 Expressions of Mathematics in Art.” Mathematics, 6 Oct. 2023, uwaterloo.ca/math/news/top-5-expressions-mathematics-art. 

Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. "The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art." The MIT Press, 2013.

[Figure 1] “Math Is the Intersection of Art and Science | Ali Rahman | TEDxYouth@Columbus.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Dec. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKiDjN9qVuI. 

[Figure 2] “Relativity (M. C. Escher).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2021

[Figure 3] “Vitruvian Man.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2021