Week 2 - Math + Art
ART AND MATHEMATICS AS ONE
“The connection of arts and science is through mathematics and art.” (Vesna). Throughout all of my life, I have never really seen myself as an artist or a mathematician. However, looking back, all of the fundamentals of each art class I ever took in school were always centered around shapes. This is something we learn very early on in math classes as well. Why this never crossed my mind until we had to start talking about it in this course is something that I did not give much thought to.
A piece of art or an artist that I go back to a lot is Van Gogh. I think that there is so much left for desire and thought just from all of the work that is on the canvas, that I completely overlooked the fact that there are so many shapes and mathematical elements to the pieces themselves. We have heard about Da Vinci using the “Golden Ratio” but I think that one of Van Gogh’s most famous pieces, Starry Night, also has some “Golden Ratio” traits that we tend to overlook. This seems to happen due to the fact that there is no face in the art, but that does not change from the fact that there is still a very clear ratio of geometric shapes throughout.
This week, something large that I have learned is the power of math in art and how the basis of art is mathematics. I tend to separate the two so widely that this week has really bridged the gap for me. In conclusion, I think that I would explain the juxtaposition of mathematics, art, and science as the way that nature can be understood and explained with the use of math and science, and as so many of our art pieces are based off of the beauty in nature, it is only fair to bring those elements into art as we start from the beginning with shapes and structures.
Works Cited:
“Flatland.” Flatland, by E. A. Abbott, 1884, www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/eaa/FL.HTM.
Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” YouTube, 9 April 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg.
Images Cited:
Hi Ciena! I definitely am on the same page with you that I never really associated art and math together until this module! Using Van Gogh's work is a fantastic example of how there is geometry everywhere, even in places where it may not be as apparent. Looking at what is captured in each square on the grid in the 'Starry Night' piece was very much intentional, and being able to recognize that through this new lens that Professor Vesna equipped us with is super useful! Nice blog!
ReplyDeleteHey Ciena! The examples of art you used to demonstrate ratio is so fascinating. In my blog, I focused more on music and film, so I enjoyed getting to hear a perspective more on fine arts. The image you used of the Van Gogh piece with a grid on it is so helpful in seeing how mathematical the art is. Thanks for all of your analysis!
ReplyDeleteHi Ciena! I really enjoyed your perspective on the relationship between math and art because I can relate to the new awareness of the combination of both fields. Growing up, I also took art classes and never realized how much math went into what I was creating. Although I wasn't a professional artist, my teachers would often help me create art by focusing on shapes and geometry to enhance the perspective of my art. I also agree that nature is a distinct way in understanding both art and math. The Fibonacci sequence, for example, often appears in nature. Artists also use math and geometry when creating nature pieces. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Ciena! This week also brought to my attention just how prevalent math is in art and how even as children, we used math in various ways through things like shapes. I love Starry Night and Van Gough's art in general, but the way you implemented this week's lessons into the piece was very creative! I never thought about all the geometry and "Golden Ratio" traits evident in the work, but you did a great job in bringing it to my attention. I also like how you included a photograph of a sunflower because I was solely thinking about manmade art when reviewing the material for this week and never thought to think about math in nature. I really enjoyed all your analyses on the connection between art and math!
ReplyDeleteHi Ciena! I like how you mentioned in your blog that the foundation of every art class you've taken revolves around shapes. For example, as you pointed out in the images when we first learn to draw houses, we start by drawing a square and then add a triangle for the roof. You also mentioned how artists use the golden ratio to enhance the aesthetics of their paintings. This reminded me of when we were learning how to draw figures, starting with basic sketches to ensure proportions using lines and gradually adding shapes to achieve the desired effect. Overall, you did an excellent job of demonstrating how mathematics is a part of the foundation of art.
ReplyDeleteHi Ciena!! I really enjoyed reading your blog this week. I felt the same way when I was reviewing this week's material -- I hadn't realized how much math was involved with art. It's funny that you included a photo of "drawing houses with easy shapes" because when Vesna spoke about linear perspective, I thought about how I struggled to draw houses that looked realistic because I couldn't get the angles right. (which I never realized was math). I agree that shapes and math really influence art and cannot be separated from each other, instead they should work to enhance each other. Good job!!
ReplyDeleteHi Ciena,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with us your insights on this week's learning materials. I enjoyed reading your response and I just wanted to say I never thought about the use of "Golden Ratio" in Van Gogh's Starry Night. What an insightful finding and it honestly blew my mind! I have one question, though. Do you think the use of golden ratio is really common in paintings? Overall, I liked your point about the beauty in nature, that we only bring those elements into art through shapes and structures.
Hi Ciena, I really think you have a great point about the Van Gogh painting as it is one of the all time greatest and most famous paintings, yet many people overlook the math aspect it uses in order to draw in the viewers and make it so naturally pleasing to the eye. I'd love to learn more about shapes and how they're used to make art more vibrant!
ReplyDelete