Art is Math

Abstract

By observing patterns in nature, we identified the mathematics behind them to understand what catches our attention. The golden ratio (phi or 1.618) occurs in nature in several patterns, and artists used this ratio in their works, from Leonardo da Vinci to the builders of the great pyramids of Giza. The golden ratio known as the divine proportion during the renaissance appeared in several Da Vinci works. He also created illustrations for the book De Divina Proportions by Luca Paoli. A 2021 research study by the University of Oregon claimed that babies by age 3 prefer fractal patterns found in nature. Fractals are complex repetitive patterns that maintain a spatial symmetry at all scales. Children up to this age live in structures devoid of these fractal patterns. Their houses employ straight lines in their architecture. The study suggests that the human brain may have evolved to consider fractals as pleasing to the eye and not something it learns to admire. An example, the Koch Snowflake is a fractal curve created by repetitions of equilateral triangles. It is developed by Helge von Koch. Mathematics is prevalent in art and aesthetics. Can we use mathematics to enhance art?