Week 2: Math + Art -- It's All About Perspective

I never viewed math as a separate entity compared to art, and there have been many classes throughout my life that have intertwined the two. Physics, using math, explains how different harmonics are used in music, and many forms of architecture are found to have its foundations derived from geometry. What I have come to notice is that as mathematics evolves and paradigms shift, it is reflected in both science and art, as scientists and artists apply the newly found rules to their fields. Particularly, the introduction of perspective began a brand new way of creating art, giving the viewer a sense of distance into the artwork, something that I failed to see in artwork before.

An example of perspective illustration, where all lines lead to a single point

Advancements in mathematics changed everything - they changed the way art was created and they expanded the ideas of both science and world culture among other things. With the introduction of perspective, artists began to make very realistic paintings. Brunelleschi applied the use of a vanishing point in his art, using geometry in many of his works. Alberti followed up on his work in perspective, saying that mathematics is the common ground between science and art. Personally, I like this form of art, as it brings to life the reality of the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional medium.


No one, in my opinion, better applied mathematics to both art and science than the great Leonardo da Vinci. In one of his most famous paintings, the Last Supper, da Vinci used perspective to subtly draw all attention to the center figure in Jesus Christ. His application of one-point perspective demonstrates how the greatest minds of the time were influenced by this new art form. He used perspective as well as other mathematically based forms to create many of the world's most famous paintings, such as the golden ratio. This form combined with the ideal proportions of the human body can be seen in the Vitruvian man. Based on the ideas of the Roman architect Vitruvius, this illustration combines both science and art, as the anatomy of a man can be seen outreached to touch the edges of a square and the circumference of a circle.

This illustration demonstrates the close association between math, art, and science. Da Vinci was one  who could apply mathematical concepts to work, the results of which have immortalized his name. His example shows that there is still overlap between the two seemingly separate worlds of both science and art, bridged together through the science/art of mathematics.

References:

Edgerton, Samuel Y. "One-Point Perspective." The Renaissance Rediscovery of Linear Perspective. Basic Books (1975).

Henderson, Linda D. "The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion." Leonardo. 17-3 (1984): 205-210

Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics-pt-1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov" Cole UC online. Youtube. 9 April 2012. Web. 11 April 2015.

"One-Point Perspective." 2Draw Wiki. 5 July 2005. Web. 11 April 2015

"Vitruvian Man - The Proportions of the Human Figure." davincilife.com. Web. 11 April 2015. http://www.davincilife.com/vitruvianman.html