WEEK 2 Art and Math

Art and Math have a symbiotic relationship. Both fields are closely related and intertwined in their origins and development. Similarly, math and science are also closely related. Math and science both have a right and wrong answer, while art is open to the artist’s interpretation. On the surface it may not seem that art, math, and science could be closely related, but upon further examination it becomes obvious.


Al-Haytham:  Father of modern physical optics

 One of the earliest examples of the connection between art and math comes from the medieval scholar Al-Haytham. Al-Haytham wrote a book called “The Book of Optics” that transformed how light and vision were understood. Al-Haytham’s work had a major influence on later renaissance artists especially in the revolution of proportion and perspective. One of these renaissance painters was Brunelleschi who used mathematical formulas and principles to scale and add depth to his works. Alberti wrote “De Pictura” which combined both art, science, and math to explain how Brunelleschi and others painted. Alberti also used art to describe both math and science, like physical optics, in his books. Finally, the “Golden Rule” as described in Dr Vesna’s lecture is the ultimate connection between art and math and has been used for centuries for both art and architecture.
The "Golden Rule" used in the Mona Lisa


Mondrian's
Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow
One Artist that exemplifies the combination of art and math is Piet Mondrian. Mondrian used an abstract style of work and utilized horizontal lines in many drawings and paintings. He believed that any shape was possible to make with basic geometric shapes. His work Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow truly shows the connection between art and math as he used golden rectangles and basic geometry in his work of art. Piet Mondrian created abstract paintings through which he sought to reveal universal harmony and order. His Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow, with its gridded black lines locking squares of color into a geometric composition, exemplifies the visual vocabulary he created to express his ideas.

Art is truly a middle man between science and math. Works of art display what science and math have discovered. In return, Artists use the cut and dry rules of math and science to create their own unique expressions and interpretations. From physics used in sculptures to geometry used in paintings, art is simply an expression of math and science.

Sources:
Alhazen, and ʻAbd Al-Ḥamīd. Ṣabra. The "Optics" of Ibn al-Haytham. London: Warburg Institute, 1989. Print.

Alberti, Leon Battista, Cecil Grayson, and Leon Battista Alberti. On painting and On sculpture. The Latin texts of De pictura and De statua. London: Phaidon, 1972. Print.

 Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg>. 

"Piet Mondrian." Vart Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. <http://vart.institute/mondrian/>.

"In Past Show Mondrian and his Studios at Tate Liverpool." Piet Mondrian | Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue (1927) | Artsy. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. <https://www.artsy.net/artwork/piet-mondrian-composition-with-red-yellow-and-blue>.

Images:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x64/35/41/643541fae15c9d6579739e7e5632c45c.jpg
http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/EMT668/EMAT6680.2000/Obara/Emat6690/Golden%20Ratio/image49.gihttps://light2015blogdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/alhazen.jpg?w=665


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