Between Math and Art

Math, often considered one of the most unpleasant school subjects, is easily found in our daily lives: in cooking meals, shopping, home decorating, sewing and gardening. Would you expect finding Math in art, though? Art, despite being the apparent opposite of Math as its focus lies on creativity, individualism and uniqueness, actually does have a lot in common with the logical, calculable, numerical mathematics. To prove that, let’s travel back in time.

Famous ancient Greek artist Polykleitos was the first person to use Mathematics in art in around 440 BC. To create a statue of the ideal human form, the sculptor used a mathematical system of proportions that elevated the marble piece to a higher standard. He referred to that system as the Canon.

Fast forward a thousand years, Leonardo da Vinci, known for his iconic Renaissance art, was also a mathematician. A discovered notebook of his contains numerous opinions and theories about mathematics, and he used mathematical principles for his legendary works of art, like the famed Mona Lisa. He claimed that mathematics and art work together, not separately, to create beautiful masterpieces.

Another five hundred years later, Pablo Picasso painted the iconic Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, which sprang a new art style called cubism, which involves using 2D shapes to construct characters and landscapes to form a complete painting. Other big names, such as Georges Braque, Francis Picabia and Juan Gris, joined the trend  as well.

So imagine you’re sitting in a classroom, calculating a mathematical equation. You probably feel frustrated or maddened, but think for a while, and try to look at Math as something more than just a school subject. Examples shown in this article are living proof that Math can be interesting and inspiring. Who knows, maybe you’ll become another Picasso or da Vinci. 

Leonardo da Vinci