Week 2: Math and Art

Since I was younger, I have had some brief understanding of how art and math go together. After watching the lectures videos, reading through the different resources, and reflecting on my upbringing, I am gaining a better understanding of this perspective. From the lecture material and different experiences in my daily life, I know that mathematics is not just for scientists, it is truly at the core of the most important tools our society uses (Vesna, “Math-intro”).

[Figure 1] "Math is at the core of everything"

I particularly found the piece “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art” by Linda Henderson to be interesting as she explained the significance of the fourth dimension, which ultimately helps artists imagine new ways of creating art that looks different from typical experiences. This text sheds light on the massive paradigm shift in which numbers of artists around the world, and at different times, began exploring art in new ways, mostly by incorporating mathematical computations and structures into their work (Vesna, “Mathematics-pt1”). I found myself personally reflecting on the fact that my grandmother used to craft these beautiful and unique mandalas. This form of art is grounded in ideas of non-Euclidean geometry as these pieces of artwork include curved spaces and symmetrical patterns that challenge the strict boundaries of traditional perspectives (Corbeel, Mandalic Mathematics; Henderson 205).

[Figure 2] "My Grandmother's Mandalas" 

The relationship between mathematics and art is deeply intertwined, demonstrated through the concept of the Golden Ratio, which has been used by artists to improve appearance and architectural proportion. For example, Leonardo da Vinci used the Golden Ratio to create his famous work of art “The Vitruvian Man,” to show his thoughts about the human proportion in relation to architecture (Vesna, “Mathematics-pt1”). The juxtaposition of mathematics, art, and science reveals a strong connection of interconnected ideas. Each discipline plays an essential role in our world, but by combining their ideas, we can find greater meaning and understanding in everything around us.

[Figure 3] "What Are Interesting Facts about the Golden Ratio?" 

Works Cited 

Corbeel, Brecht. “Mandalic Mathematics: A Confluence of Patterns, Symmetry, and

        Transformations.” Medium, Medium, 11 Aug. 2023, 

        medium.com/@brechtcorbeel/mandalic-mathematics-a-confluence-of-patterns 

        symmetry-and-transformations-6636aba0d9ef

OpenAI DALL-E, “Math is at the core of everything.” 12 Apr. 2024, JPEG file.

“Fibonacci, Fractals and Financial Markets - Socionomics.Net.” YouTube, 31 May 2007,
        youtu.be/RE2Lu65XxTU?feature=shared.
        Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in

Modern Art: Conclusion.” Leonardo, vol. 17, no. 3, 1984, pp. 205–10. JSTOR,
        https://doi.org/10.2307/1575193. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024.

Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1.” Bruinlearn.
        https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/183769/pages/unit-2-view?

        module_item_id=6671234. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024.

Vesna, Victoria. “Math intro.” Bruinlearn.
        https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/183769/pages/unit-2-view?

        module_item_id=6671234. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024.

“What Are Interesting Facts about the Golden Ratio?” Quora, www.quora.com/What-are-
        interesting-facts-about-the-golden-ratio. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

Zur, Elise. “My Grandmother’s Mandalas.” 2022. JPEG file.