DESMA 9 Week 2: Math and Art

Endosymbiotic Theory for Mitochondrion. Source: http://www.fossilmuseum.net/

People never really realize how complex the world is until they learn about the world around them. Education, it seems, is what allows us to grow both academically and holistically. The more we learn, the better perspective we have on our lives and the many relationships that we are unknowingly engaged in. Knowledge is power, and ignorance is bliss. Many, if not most, people live their lives without so much as a thought towards how much our lives have been influenced by things many would consider trivial, such as fresh air, water, and prehistoric endosymbiotic relationships. For example, without mitochondria and chloroplasts – the result of endosymbiosis – life on Earth would be radically different from the world we live in now. 

Likewise, I've always been ignorant in my own right about the complex relationship between mathematics and art. I've always taken ideas like the number zero for granted; I mean, since when has zero not been around? Yet, without zero, there'd be no way to mathematically differentiate the number one from the number ten. Efficiency in science, math, business, and even politics would be diminished by a factor of ten. 

A: “How many pounds of meat do you have?” 
B: “Less than one.” 
A: “Can I have half a pound?” 
B: “I already told you I have less than one!”

And so on. 

The Parthenon and the Golden Ratio. Source: http://www.goldennumber.net

Math appears to permeate art throughout time, from the Greek Parthenon to the more modern Penrose tiling. First created by mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose in 1974, Penrose tiling

Penrose Tiling. Source: http://www.liefies.com/

 uses a pentagonal base and distinct colors to create a unique pattern. A now common sight in buildings everywhere, Penrose tiling has many features that can be correlated with math, including self-similar patterning and a lack of translational symmetry. However, the most mathematical feature is the presence of the pentagon in Penrose tiling and its innate mathematical characteristic, the golden ratio, in the ratio of chord lengths to side lengths in a regular pentagon.
Even though some people appear to just “wing it,” math still manages to appAdd captionear within art. Often, art that is geometrically pleasing has better reception. I agree with Henderson's idea in her paper “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion" that we are motivated to use math in art, but I think that many artists subconsciously incorporate this aspect of mathematics into their art.



"Endosymbiosis - The Appearance of the Eukaryotes." Endosymbiosis. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Evolution/Endosymbiosis.htm>.

Gardner, Martin. Penrose Tiles to Trapdoor Ciphers. New York: Freeman, 1989. Print.

Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. A New Facet of Cubism: The Fourth Dimension and Non-euclidian Geometry Reinterpreted. 1971. Print.

"Penrose Tiles." -- from Wolfram MathWorld. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://mathworld.wolfram.com/PenroseTiles.html>.

"The Liefies." » Blog Archive » Bathroom Floor Tile. 19 Apr. 2008. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.liefies.com/?p=366>.

"The Parthenon and Phi, the Golden Ratio." Phi 1618 The Golden Number. 20 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.goldennumber.net/parthenon-phi-golden-ratio/>.