MATH + ART
Math is present in every aspect of the world, as its theories are constructs that apply to every one of life's circumstances. Proportionality, dimensionality, and weight are components of everything, whether it be the couch you sit on, an artistic rendering on canvas, or the thickness of a line drawn by felt pen. Even in the lack of physical presence, math continues to exist as zeroes, negatives, and as infinite.
Oftentimes it seems that art is a realm separate from the seemingly constrictive, ordered nature of math. Sweeping brush strokes and splattered paint spots channel a disorder that contradicts the sensible nature of numbers. However, Professor Vesna emphasizes that all paintings are composed of three elements: drawing, coloring, and proportion. This perspective, transitioning from linear to 3D after Giotto and Brunelleschi discovered convergence and the vanishing point, is an example of the mathematical principles present in all art.
Math is present in every aspect of the world, as its theories are constructs that apply to every one of life's circumstances. Proportionality, dimensionality, and weight are components of everything, whether it be the couch you sit on, an artistic rendering on canvas, or the thickness of a line drawn by felt pen. Even in the lack of physical presence, math continues to exist as zeroes, negatives, and as infinite.
Oftentimes it seems that art is a realm separate from the seemingly constrictive, ordered nature of math. Sweeping brush strokes and splattered paint spots channel a disorder that contradicts the sensible nature of numbers. However, Professor Vesna emphasizes that all paintings are composed of three elements: drawing, coloring, and proportion. This perspective, transitioning from linear to 3D after Giotto and Brunelleschi discovered convergence and the vanishing point, is an example of the mathematical principles present in all art. 
Numbers and mathematical forms can be used as vectors of art as well. Though not a typical art form, numbers are another medium through which artists can convey emotion and express their perspectives. Such can be seen in the 'floating.numbers' installation at the Jewish Museum in Berlin, where viewers can touch any floating numbers to reveal each number or pattern's hidden significance. Similarly, numbers and dimensionality were used as a mechanism to express social structures and rigidity in Edwin Abbott's Flatland. In Flatland, a 2D world, men exist as various polygons while women are simple line segments. The narrator, 'Square', befriends 'Sphere' and is able to visit 3D Spaceland, and consequently theorizes of the possibility of 4th, 5th, and 6th dimensions. Abbott uses physical forms via extended analogy to comment on the nature of human thought and the rigidity that societal structure provides. Much like a human body is composed of billions of individual cells, the world can be similarly broken down into shapes, lines, and segments. In the process, he gives new meaning to "thinking outside of the box".
ROBOTICS + ART
Following the propagation of mechanical inventions like the printing press, the idea of robots emerged from theater as a representation of the mechanistic nature of evolving society. With rapidly advancing technologies, the definition of art and its manifestations began to change as well.
Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" criticized the effects of the industrial revolution. Perhaps sensing an emergence of two cultures where science and art became separate entities, Benjamin argued that mechanical reproduction put an end to the idea of uniqueness and authenticity, destroying the aura surrounding original works of art. As such, the idea of the original is broken down, idea of tradition is not as important.
It is easy to understand Benjamin's perspective. Some painters can now make a more sustainable living by selling countless digital replications of old pieces, while many have foregone the talents of a painter and captured moments and emotions with photography. It may seem as if the uniqueness of art is gone, but from my perspective, the advancements in technology have allowed art to become accessible and ever-present in all corners of society.
Following the propagation of mechanical inventions like the printing press, the idea of robots emerged from theater as a representation of the mechanistic nature of evolving society. With rapidly advancing technologies, the definition of art and its manifestations began to change as well.
Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" criticized the effects of the industrial revolution. Perhaps sensing an emergence of two cultures where science and art became separate entities, Benjamin argued that mechanical reproduction put an end to the idea of uniqueness and authenticity, destroying the aura surrounding original works of art. As such, the idea of the original is broken down, idea of tradition is not as important.
It is easy to understand Benjamin's perspective. Some painters can now make a more sustainable living by selling countless digital replications of old pieces, while many have foregone the talents of a painter and captured moments and emotions with photography. It may seem as if the uniqueness of art is gone, but from my perspective, the advancements in technology have allowed art to become accessible and ever-present in all corners of society.
To me, art finds its purpose as a representation of the human experience, as forms of human thought and concepts presented in a physical (or now digital) form. Talented artists turn inanimate and nonhuman objects into forms that conjure emotion or inspire thought. Art is no longer limited to sculpting marble or mixing watercolor into beautiful forms -- art now can be found in the contours of a convertible's sheet metal, the film grain from an old Pentax, or through the nuts and bolts of robots emulating human form. Benjamin Heine highlights these changing forms in his series, Pencil vs. Camera, seen below.
New forms of art have allowed artists to create fantastic imaginary worlds that encompass multiple dimensions and senses, perhaps best highlighted in animation. In Disney-Pixar's Up, sketches of Russell done with pencil and paper are transformed by mathematics and robotics into a sweeping, moving adventure animation that draws feelings of wanderlust and joy from the audience. As Professor Vesna stated in her robotics lecture, robotics and technology have created an "ocean" of information and computational power that we can use to now create entire digital universes with, where art can advance along with society and reach both global audiences and individual viewers.
New forms of art have allowed artists to create fantastic imaginary worlds that encompass multiple dimensions and senses, perhaps best highlighted in animation. In Disney-Pixar's Up, sketches of Russell done with pencil and paper are transformed by mathematics and robotics into a sweeping, moving adventure animation that draws feelings of wanderlust and joy from the audience. As Professor Vesna stated in her robotics lecture, robotics and technology have created an "ocean" of information and computational power that we can use to now create entire digital universes with, where art can advance along with society and reach both global audiences and individual viewers.
While technology has allowed for the global propagation of mass art, two cultures continue to juxtapose mathematics and art. Much like the "right brain vs. left brain" myth, in viewing complex mathematics, passersby tend to visualize endless matrices of meaningless 0's and 1's. In viewing art forms, all math, physics, and technology seems to fly out the window. Such juxtaposition is a hallmark of product advertising. Oftentimes, consumers are forced to choose between the most technically capable, ergonomically reliable product vs. the aesthetically pleasing "art" product that favors aesthetics over functionality. In a technologically advanced society where both are considered very important, it is up to consumers to decide which balance of math and art they value most.
Sources:
"Floating.Numbers." ART + COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 July 2014. <http://www.artcom.de/en/projects/project/detail/floatingnumbers/>.Abbott, Edwin Abbott. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. ed. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg, 1884. Print.
Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.
Heine, Ben. "Pencil vs. Camera." Pencil vs. Camera. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 July 2014. <http://www.benheine.com/projects.php>
Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics Pt. 1." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 5 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg>.
Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Pt. 1." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 5 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew>.
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