week 2

This week’s lecture was enlightening because, first of all, I had no idea perspective was influenced by math. Al-Haytham and Book of Optics influencing Renaissance painters to use perspective hundreds of years after publication is amazing. To harness the ideas of someone in a completely different field than your own to influence your work is inspiring. I also had never heard of a vanishing point before Dr. Vesna’s lecture, though I have seen it in action and used it in my own doodles and drawings before. A vanishing point lets the viewer feel they are inside the art, as the foreground seems big enough to inhabit while the point where the lines converge seem to end the image as well as suggest it may go on forever.

Through the link to Robert Lang’s TED Talk, I learned that origami nowadays is a direct result of mathematics used to unlock the power of folding one sheet of paper over and over again. Lang even uses a computer program to design his origami pieces before he ever even touches paper, based on the basic four rules of the art. This allows for precise and limitless work.

Assyrian Bull, opus 493 by Robert Lang

When I think of math and art, my mind immediately jumps to Frank Lloyd Wright. The prolific architect used math, such as the Golden Ratio, to create his sleek designs of iconic buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

The Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright

FLW also used math to create gorgeous geometric stained glass windows. As you can see in the images below, FLW utilized the Golden Rectangle to create clean lines and visually stimulating space within his windows. Comparing FLW’s work to the other (more boring) buildings and stained glass windows illustrates how critical math is to creating aesthetically pleasing art that stands out in a crowd.

 

Frank Lloyd Wright's Tree of Life window from his Darwin D. Martin house.

Through this week’s lecture, I learned that art isn’t just something you can jump into without a breadth of knowledge and expect to make an impact. The artists featured in Dr. Vesna’s lecture are all people who had interest, experience, and knowledge in math and who were able to use numbers to their advantage.

Assyrian Bull, opus 493 by Robert Lang: http://www.langorigami.com/art/gallery/gallery.php?tag=mythical&name=assyrian_bull

Dent, Huntley. "Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward - Guggenheim Museum, New York, May 15–August 23, 2009 - New York Arts." New York Arts. New York Arts, 15 July 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2015. <http://newyorkarts.net/2009/07/frank-lloyd-wright-from-within-outward-guggenheim-museum-new-york/>.

Robert Lang: The Math and Magic of Origami. Perf. Robert Land. TED, 2008. Film.

"Studio Colombia 3 The Vanishing Points." Walk the Arts Living through the Arts. 24 Feb. 2013. Web. 7 Apr. 2015 <https://walkthearts.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/studio-colombia-3-the-vanishing-points/>.

Tree of Life by Frank Lloyd Wright: http://ketubah-arts.com/founders-hall-ketubah/

Vesna, Victoria. "Math + Art." UCLA, Los Angeles. 4 Apr. 2015. Lecture.