Week 2- Math + Art

When looking at different subjects or cultures you never put Art and Math together. They are actually split into two very different topics not only in education but also in our own life and identity.  During your time in school it was only common that your fellow peers label you, into the subject or extra-circular activity you succeeded in. I know I was labelled as the “sports girl how was good at math.  Math is something that makes sense. No matter how large or scary the equation looks, it usually boils down to; one number plus another number equals the final product. Is this not what art is too? One product plus another product equals the final piece. However, until the lecture that Professor Vesna presented about Art and Math, I never thought about the connection between the two. 

 

From my understanding, without Math we cannot have art.  Take the Golden ratio for instance.  This helps explain the Egyptian Pyramids, arguably one of the most fascinating works of art. Without the mechanics of engineering- mathematics being the structure- the pyramids would still not be standing today.  I like the idea that math influences art, as I never considered myself artistic, but I do know how to apply math to different scenarios making me believe that I could one day use this knowledge to produce my own forms of art. 

I have now thought back to my own travels around the world, with different art works I have seen and how math has influenced them.  One of the works of art that sticks out to me is Chichen Itza in Mexico.  Many don’t know, that only two times of the year does the natural phenomenon- the autumn equinox occurs. Where the sun hits the pyramid at a perfect angle to make it look like a snake is crawling down the side of the structure.  This cool phenomenon is a natural work of art where without the use of mathematics it would not occur.

The way Art and Math can link together such natural phenomena is unbelievable, and something many of us do not give thought until hopefully now. 

Sources: 

Coombes, Eva. “Interesting Facts About the Golden Ratio in Nature, Art, Math and Architecture” Knoji consumer knowledge.

Macdonald, Fiona. “7 Times Mathematics Became Art And Blew Our Minds” Science Alert. 2016

Zabrodskii, P.F. “the difference between art and science” 2017 Research gate

"A masterpiece of ratios, scaling and color" Texas instrument. Education technology. 

"The beauty of the golden ratio," Oracle Think Quest.

“The Descent of Kukulkán” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvv9EnBuem4.