Week 2: Math + Art

After hearing this week’s lecture and getting through the readings over the week, I was able to understand the different ways math incorporated with art, and moreover with the view of life- “Perspective”.  I learned that Consciousness triggers apprehension, and Apprehension allows for understanding of Perspectives of the world. This perspective was then digested by Mathematics into finally creating a final creation of Art.

  In Linda D. Henderson’s article, she inserts Rice Pereira’s statement that the two contrasting concepts of ‘Development of human consciousness’ and ‘Apprehension of space’ are actually parallel to one another. Personally, I was able to experience this concept as I worked throughout the week after reading this material. When my consciousness awakened, my apprehension of space was triggered; I was able to allow different viewpoints of geometrical-mathematical perspectives from my literal point of standing. When I would sit at a café on campus, I would look up to be able to imagine walkways and buildings in a two-dimensional landscape with calculable degrees of angles, moreover its size/formation relative to its distance. This concept was demonstrated by Edwin A. Abbott’s “Flatland” reading, as he calls the world a “Flatland” from his apprehension that the world is like a sheet of paper with straight lines, triangles, squares, pentagons, and hexagons that move freely like shadows.

The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1481 Leonaldo Da Vinci 

This form of “Perspective” was introduced in Dr. Vesna’s lecture as she defined it as a mathematical system for representing a three dimensional space on a two dimensional flat surface layout. Leonardo da Vincis’ famed art pieces were demonstrated as the perfect example as one of the first use of Mathematical formulas implemented in creating each prominent piece of art.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Adoration of the Magi” clearly depicts his apprehension of space and artistic expression of the perspective using Mathematics, in which he used horizontal lines, orthogonal, and vanishing points as its instruments.

Perspectival Study for The Adoration of the
Magi, c. 1481 Leonaldo Da Vinci

 I was more than impressed how such a new idea of consciousness and apprehension of space have triggered for this “natural perspective” as introduced by Leonardo Da Vinci, and how his works were used in all three genres of Art, Mathematics, and Science. Such use of Mathematics in calculative angles and formulas to analyze different concepts in the world was adopted by the scientists in understanding not only the Physiological-apprehensions but also of the understanding of nature within the field of sciences- using mathematics, but defined by art.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sources:

Abbott, Edwin A. "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions." Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (1884): n. pag. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Da Vinci, Leonardo. "Museum of Science, Boston." Exploring Linear Perspective. Museum of Science, 1997. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. "The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion." Leonardo 17.3 (1984): 205-10. JSTOR. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Mason, Freddie. "The Diagnostic Scans of Leonardo Da Vinci's Adoration of the Magi, by AHA Tutor Freddie Mason." Art History Abroad. Art History Abroad, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

Powell, Phill. "DMA TECH CAMPS AT UCLA, Where Is Ucla Campus? | Digital Media Academy." Digital Media Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.