The topic we explored this week was how math and industrialization has shaped art and science. I do not have a very strong background with art, however going over the lectures I learned that artists need math in order for their artwork to come out exactly how they want it. Math is necessary to calculate a specific shape, or dimension. In the painting process, there are three elements. The first is drawing and outlining, the second is dealing with proportion and the last is coloring. The part dealing with proportions is very important, and this is done by using geometrical theorems, and mathematical concepts. The proportion and perspective was not seen until the Italian painter Giotto started showing depth around the 1300's in his photos. In this painting, Giotto is seen using depth in artwork for the first time.
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Lamentation of Christ- Giotto
This idea that math and art are connected stems from way back in history. The Egyptians were the first people to use this concept, which was later passed down to the Greeks. They used this concept in the building of the Parthenon. In this picture below, the golden ratio was used in order to build an aesthetically pleasing building. “Two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities” (The Parthenon and Phi, golden ratio).
Lastly, not only has math influenced art and science, but industrialization has also majorly impacted it as well. The invention of the printing press helped spark mass production. During the first industrial revolution, a cataclysmic invention called the spinning jenny revolutionized the country. This spinning jenny was also similar to the printing press because they both sparked mass production. This spinning jenny helped to decrease the need for manual labor, because it could now be made by a machine. This new machinery can also be related to, many years later, when people began to make robots for work that was usually done by humans.
Citations
"Giotto Di Bondone." WebMuseum. Web. 05 July 2014.
"Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 05 July 2014.
"Robotics Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 05 July 2014.
"The Parthenon and Phi, the Golden Ratio." Phi 1618 The Golden Number. Web. 05 July 2014.
"The Spinning Jenny a Wool Revolution." Spinning Jenny. Web. 05 July 2014.
Dominique,
ReplyDeleteThis was such a great read, I really enjoyed seeing how Giotto used depth and proportion to make the "Lamentation of Christ" complex with dimension. I also didn't know that the Greeks had inherited the relationship between math and art from the Egyptians. This makes me see the Parthenon in a completely different light - very interesting. Do you think that the greek architecture we see today would be more abstract had math not been a part of its planning and design?
Again, thanks for a good read!
NGUYEN PHAM