Mathematics and Art

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how mathematics is often treated as a distant and very different discipline from the arts even though the arts make use of mathematics in a number of ways. In particular, the paper looks at how paintings, drawings, and designs can be analyzed according to mathematical principles to see ways in which the artist balances different shapes and forms according to mathematical principles or draws on mathematical theory for inspiration. The paper also examines how the art of different periods may reflect different mathematical ideas.

From the Paper:

"The classical era was one in which mathematics was used quite consciously in developing artistic styles, and some of these styles have even been named with mathematical references. The artworks of a given era reflect the formalist, social, and economic realities of the period, exemplifying the prevailing artistic styles and the social and economic structures which influence the arts. In Greek art, the Geometric period was an era which produced a good deal of pottery and other geometrically regular works. The Geometric krater from the Dipylon cemetery from the eighth century B.C. (De La Croix, Tansey, and Kirkpatrick 130) exemplifies the style of the period. The Geometric period is the name given to the era between the end of the Mycenaean age and the beginning of the Classic age. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Briggs, John. Fractals: The Patterns of Chaos. New York: Touchstone, 1992.
• Chilvers, Ian, Harold Osborne, and Dennis Farr. The Oxford Dictionary of Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
• Cipra, Barry. "Cross-Disciplinary Artists Know Good Math When They See It. . . " Science (7 Aug 1992), 748-749.
• De La Croix, Horst, Richard G. Tansey, and Diane Kirkpatrick. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991.
• Fineberg, Jonathan. Art Since 1940. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1995.

More papers on Mathematics and Art:

• Essay # 69709 : "Educational Decrease in Language and Art"
• Analytical Essay # 148783 : "Math and Art in Sculptures"
• Term Paper # 104257 : "Symmetry in Islamic Art"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: