This week’s lesson made me realize that mathematics is art. Dr. Vensa mentioned math ultimately describes the relationships of operations, combinations, abstracts, symbols, shapes, and generalizations. Sound familiar? It should — that is how I would define art. The two perfectly juxtaposes each other: I don’t see them as two distinct topics but one that is extremely interlocked and compliments one another.
I learned that mathematics greatly influenced art. Perspectives and vanishing points greatly brought portraits and paintings into life. I was genuinely surprised to discover that math first used those ideas and art incorporated it later. The difference is truly magnificent.
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| Frankfurt Paradiesgartlein, a German panel painting in circa 1410 An example of a painting that lacks perspective |
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| A Realistic Portrait by artist Giovanni Moroni |
In the second photo, the person looks like it was photographed. Looking at the photo and observing the shadows, I noticed the perspective is at an angle. For example, the nose rim comes out more due to the white color and the darker shade pushes the side of the nose in. This gives the nose a three-dimensional look. Although it may not be apparent, the vanishing point is used to make the ear and the background seem further away than the eyes or the nose.
Ultimately, the use of perspective and vanishing points give depth and reality into a photo. As a painter, I believe mastering this ability changes a painting drastically. In addition, this connectivity of mathematics and art is not just simply present on two-dimensional canvases but also in real life; origami is another example of perspective in three-dimensions.
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| A 6-foot Heron folded for the Mingei Masterworks of Origami Exhibition www.langorigami.com |
The geometry is so precise and shows the endless possibilities math presents in art.
Citations:
1. Vanishing Points and Looking at Art
2. The Geometry of Perspective Drawing
3. Renaissance Art and Mathematical Perspective
4. Mathematical Origami by Robert Lang
5. Frankfurt Paradiesgartlein, a German panel painting from circa 1410 Image
6. Giovanni Moroni Image
The fact that math and art go hand in hand is very true. When looking at art, one must look closely at its dimensions, size of lines, angles, etc. Its no wonder math and art go hand in hand. We learn about different ways of measuring shapes which plays into geometry, like you said. Your last pictures, I believe, shows the most dimensions and mathematical precision. This origami piece shows a different perspective than a two dimensional canvas. Although two dimensional canvases can show depth and dimension the 3 dimensional piece shows actual shapes and how they play into each other.
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