Week 2: Math + Art

Week 2's lesson was about the relationship between mathematics and art. I never knew how much math influenced the perspectives of art. Edwin Abbott gave great examples of how mathematics influenced art through his description of putting a penny on a table and how he saw the king and his subjects in specific lines (Abbott 2, 34). With the help of Marc Frantz, it became clearer with his breakdown of how math has created the art of vanishing points, stating, "We have only used a little mathematics... we see the importance of the unique, correct perspective viewpoint"(Frantz 7). In other words, math is needed to express unique perspectives. 

In week 2's lesson, my favorite artist, Vincent Van Gogh, helped me understand the relationship between math and art. Linda Henderson's reading states, "[M]otivated by a desire to complete our subjective experience by inventing new aesthetic and conceptual capabilities" (Henderson 209). Van Gogh's works match this goal of using math to create his journey through life. More specifically, his works were similar to the lecture discussion of how Leonard De Vinci's expression of mathematical paintings (Vesna 19:16- 20:17).

https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-vincent-van-gogh/

https://drawpaintacademy.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-one-point-perspective/

The artworks "Bedroom in Arles" and "Bulb Fields" show the one-point type of linear perspective (Ives). It shows how much precision goes into calculating the entire painting to the center point, especially when seeing the "Bedroom in Arles" chair on the left side aligning perfectly.  Even the "Bulb Fields," a painting of flower fields, was not just a Van Gogh view but a well-calculated point that the flower patches and the farmer all zoomed into (GB). Most importantly, art and math allow viewers to see how much detail goes into a 'simple' painting of Van Gogh's bedroom and fields. It is even crazier to think that Van Gogh's mathematical drawing continued through his mental health decline, giving a sense that it might have been the one stable "point" in his life. 

http://mathandmultimedia.com/2013/05/18/the-mathematics-of-perspective-drawing/

Overall, this week shows again how much art, math, and science depend on each other instead of the negative juxtaposition scholars create. The use of math in art is obvious, but people are ignoring it. This shows how important it is to teach the next generations the importance of the relationship between science and art, not the division of the two. 

References

Abbott, Edwin. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. Second Revised Edition,    

    1884. https://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/eaa/FL.HTM

Frantz, Marc. "Lesson 3: Vanishing Points and Looking at Art" 

    2000. https://www.cs.ucf.edu/courses/cap6938-02/refs/VanishingPoints.pdf

GB. "The Mathematics of Perspective Drawing." Math and Multi-media, May 18, 

    2013. http://mathandmultimedia.com/2013/05/18/the-mathematics-of-perspective-drawing/

Henderson, Linda. " The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion." 

    Leonardo, Vol 17, no. 3, 1984 pp. 205-210. file:///C:/Users/jason/Downloads/2-henderson_fourth-dimension.pdf

Irvine, Amy. "10 Facts About Vincent Van Gogh." History Hit, July 27, 

    2022. https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-vincent-van-gogh/

Scott, Dan. "The Ultimate Guide To One Point Perspective." Draw Paint Academy, January 23, 2018.        

    https://drawpaintacademy.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-one-point-perspective/

Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics-Pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." Youtube, April 9, 2012.