Week 2: Math

Arguably one of the most divisive classes that seem to separate science and art majors is math. However, after watching this week's videos and reading the text, I cannot believe how wrong the aforementioned statement is. So many of the principles in math and science are a result of scientists visually portraying to make sense of hard to understand principles. This is most closely represented by fullerene, or 'buckyball' structures. Until the visualization of the molecule was designed, the chemical principles that guided the molecule's unique chemical principles was hard to understand. Hence, it can be seen how art and science can and do work hand-in-hand to understand the world around us.

Similarly, artists have been known to use math in their art for centuries. Looking at one of the most common pieces of art by renowned artist, scientist, and engineer Leonardo da Vinci, the Last Supper exemplifies the beautiful product of math and art. Combining mathematical concepts of perspective with respect to the vanishing point in Christ's right eye, this piece of art captures depth on a 2-dimensional platform. The artist also utilized proportions to make sure the people in the portrait were sized relative to the walls. Moreover, the da Vinci's artwork in the colors he chose along with the expressions on each person's face show the artistic freedom he used to make such a masterpiece come together. 

And so, though science and art may seem entirely unrelated at first, the two come together in more ways than not. With the making of complex shapes by the artist comes a deep understanding of the mathematics involved in making this art possible through numbers. With the portrayal of real life and how every object is relative to another comes the underlying idea of Filippo di Ser Brunellesco vanishing point. Therefore, math and art come together once one can look beyond just the numbers and shapes they initially see in each field.

Sources:

1.      “A Winning Essay.” Chemistry Hall of Fame - 1998 - Buckyballs, www.chem.yorku.ca/hall_of_fame/essays98/buckyball/bucky1/bucky.htm.
2.      “What Is a Buckyball (C60).” What Is a Buckyball - C60, www.understandingnano.com/what-is-buckyball-c60.html.
3.      Geometry in Art & Architecture Unit 14, www.math.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.geometry/unit14/unit14.html.
4.      “Mathematics.” Leonardo Da Vinci Mathematics, www.leonardo-da-vinci.net/mathematics/.
5.       Blumberg, Naomi. “Linear Perspective.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 17 Mar. 2016, www.britannica.com/art/linear-perspective.
6.       The Arrow in the Eye: Chapter III: Brunelleschi's Peepshow and The Invention of Perspective (Page 1), www.webexhibits.org/arrowintheeye/brunelleschi1.html.
7.      Vesna, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. 15 April. 2018. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg&feature=player_embedded>