MATHS AND ART Mrs Michelle Hobbs
“The mathematical sciences particularly exhibit order symmetry … these are the greatest forms of the beautiful.” Aristotle Many great artists have used mathematical ideas and concepts either consciously or subconsciously. An awareness and, better still, understanding of the mathematics involved can add another layer of appreciation and enjoyment when studying a painting or a building. There are a multitude of ways that Mathematics can be interwoven with Art. Sometimes formal mathematical rules and concepts can be applied such as the Golden Ratio, Perspective and Tessellation, but often a more general appreciation of shape and pattern is present. The intersection of Art and Mathematics can also be seen in Fractal Art. Stunning images can be produced when numbers generated by an iterative mathematical process are identified with particular colours. This article will focus on Geometry and Art by way of introduction to a much wider field. To begin, consider the basic mathematical shapes: circles, triangles, squares and rectangles. Artists like Mondrian and Kandinsky combined basic shapes with colour to striking effect. Mondrian ‘longed for an art of clarity and discipline that somehow reflected the objective laws of the universe’. Kandinsky used geometric forms ‘in his quest to achieve harmony and to express a spiritual reality’. For him coloured shapes could be identified with feelings and in Yellow-Red-Blue it is clear to see how he juxtaposes light and dark shapes. Kandinsky and Mondrian both used the simplicity and clarity of geometry in their search for order and harmony and I feel that their paintings sit very happily in a Mathematics classroom.
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This tradition of considering abstract form and the influence of Mathematics can also be seen in the sculptures of Barbara Hepworth. Visiting her garden in St Ives is an excellent opportunity for appreciating the fusion of Mathematics and Art. It really is a multisensory and multidisciplinary experience. Modern western art is not the only art to rely heavily on geometry in its search for beauty. Islamic artists have long been influenced by Mathematics and Science in their use of geometric shapes to convey unity and order. Tiling in the Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque in Shiraz, Iran, illustrates the use of circles, squares, stars and polygons. These have been tessellated, rotated, reflected, enlarged and translated to create intricate, complex patterns. Something to bear in mind when revising IGCSE transformations!
