Violin and Pitcher by Georges Braque (1909)
Math and Art have a special relationship with one another although it is not immediately intuitive that they do. Usually one would separate the concepts as it is believed they have countering uses, yet much like a lot of things in the world, it is intertwined. Beginning with the development of non euclidean geometry. Dimensions and depth of an image or as a spatial concept within art began a revolution in art, this concept was known as the "fourth dimension". "The fourth dimension is art encouraged artists to depart from visual reality. and reject one point systems." (L. Henderson). The main concept that emerged from the fourth dimension of evolution was Cubism.
Picasso’s 1909 painting ‘‘Femme Assise’’
Henderson elaborates on the concept of "hyperspace" or a "cosmic void" (L. Henderson) being another central focus on the art. "Flatland" by Edwin A. Abbott states, "All beings in Flatland, animate and inanimate, no matter what their form, present TO OUR VIEW the same, or nearly the same, appearance, viz. that of a straight Line. How then can one be distinguished from another, where all appear the same?" (E. Abbott). The purpose of dimensions is to be distinguishable, it is to create a world within itself.
Victoria Vesna mentions the importance of perspective being used as a "teaching point" with its viewpoint tool in images and horizons (V. Vesna). It creates an essential experience within the world the artist is creating by imaging the depth whether using actual math or estimations about how far a line can go within an image to represent somewhat of what we see with our own eyes. Picasso does this beautifully in his art Brick Factory at Tortosa in which one can visualize where to walk through, how high something can be, etc. You picture yourself in that image relative to your own reality. All in all, the interlinking relationship with math, science, and art is evident when creating an art that sends you into a different reality. A different world requires an understanding of gravity, space, size, shadow, and geometry.
REFERENCES/LINKS:
Abbott, Edwin. A. (1884). Flatland: A romance of many dimensions. HANSEBOOKS.
Contributors to Wikimedia projects. (2016, November 25). Brick Factory at Tortosa - Wikipedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Factory_at_Tortosa
Gurney, T. (n.d.). Violin and Pitcher by Georges Braque. Welcome to ArtGuide.Org - Discover Artists, Museums and Exhibitions. Retrieved April 12, 2024 from https://www.artguide.org/georges-braque/violin-and-pitcher/
Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion.” Leonardo (Oxford)
Vesna, Victoria. (2012, March 26). Math intro. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHiL9iskUWM
Credit...2016 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Hello Heidi, I really appreciate your viewpoint on math and art, and contributing to the discourse surrounding it. I wasn't aware of the intersections between math and art and the different productions of them. One example that you mentioned was how cubism used dimensions and depth of an image to create a concept known as the fourth dimension. Your example really highlighted how math and art intersected to create a three dimensional art piece. All in all great job!
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