Week 2: Math and Art

Week 2: Math and Art


Through the various examples and historical context presented in this week’s materials, I was able to draw a myriad of connections between mathematical concepts and their influence in the world of art. I have never thought of myself as a “math person”. As Professor Vesna discusses in lecture, having a bad math teacher definitely pushed me towards the arts. I’ve learned that you don’t need to be a math person to use math in art and appreciate how mathematical ideas are the basis of many beloved artworks. One example of this is the work of Nathan Selikoff, an artist who creates interactive artwork influenced by concepts of nature, behavior, and physical senses. Selikoff marries the concepts of math and art when he, “combine[s] computer code, traditional materials, and future technology to bring new ideas to life.”
Source:  “Dance Variations - Print.” by Nathan Selikoff
                                                         
Another example that particularly peaked my interest was the mention of the show “Numbers”. I watched this show religiously with my family, enthralled by the crime and math whiz protagonist who used his genius to catch criminals. Now I understand how using math as a theme enhanced the art form of entertainment that was this television show. I remember the episodes always began with a voice over from the main character, “We all use math every day. To predict weather…to tell time…to handle money. Math is more than formulas and equations. It’s logic; it’s rationality. It’s using your mind to solve the biggest mysteries we know.”
Source: https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/numb3rs-removed-netflix/
Art can be dependent on math, but without artistic expression we would not be able to see all of the fascinating ways math shapes the world. The interaction between these two brings in the equally intertwined world of science, where the combination of math and art is seen in the natural world Looking into the relationship between these seemingly unrelated realms is both enlightening and beautiful.
Source: The Conversation
Sources:

Selikoff, Nathan. “Dance Variations - Print.” Nathan Selikoff, 2016, nathanselikoff.com/works/dance-variations.

Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube.9 April 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>

Scott, Ridley, and Tony Scott. “Numbers.” Season 1, episode 1.

Rose, Michael. “Explainer: What Are Fractals?” The Conversation, 7 Feb. 2017, theconversation.com/explainer-what-are-fractals-10865.

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 18, 2018 at 9:18 PM

    It's very interesting to note how you mention that math is used in art, specifically in Selikoff's works. I hadn't really thought of how much mathematics went into creating interactive art. Only now do I realize that it requires a lot of math and computer programming to create such complex shapes like the one you pictured.

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