Art and mathematics are helplessly entwined. Art is a vast
field that covers all forms of expression. When art is focused on replicated
and expressing the natural order of the world around us, math is heavily
involved. This entanglement is because math is another means of portraying the
natural world. This sentiment is explained in the film Pi. The main character Maximillian Cohen asserts “mathematics is
the language of nature. Everything is capable of being represented with numbers.”
Cohen’s fascination with numbers and the Fibonacci sequence allows him to
identify its occurrence throughout the natural world.
Figure 1: The movie poster for Pi.
This sequence appears also through art. The Parthenon was
constructed by the ancient Greeks and displays the Fibonacci relationship in
its construction.
Figure 2: The Fibonacci spiral as it relates to the
Parthenon.
Human nature has evolved to replicate the realm of natural
order. It seems that humans have an innate attraction to this relationship known
as the Golden Ratio. By replication, this natural ratio has permeated human
society and has been seen in famous works of art. The pervasiveness of this
Golden Ratio in multiple works of art and architecture could even lend to the
theory that beauty itself can be described mathematically.
Fractals
are another example of the natural world displayed in mathematical ratios. As
portrayed in the video “Fibonacci, Fractals and the Financial Markets,” that
fractals resemble the shapes of natural formations. Fractals describe mountain
ranges, rivers, and coastlines accurately.
Figure 3: Fibonacci relationships in nature exist
everywhere.
Referrences
[1] Pi movie trailer. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ1sZSCz47w]
[2] Pi movie Poster [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_(film)]
[3] Fibonacci, Fractals, and Financial Markets [https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RE2Lu65XxTU]
[4] Fibonacci Parthenon. [http://imgarcade.com/1/fibonacci-parthenon/]
[5] Fibonacci spirals in nature. [http://www.wired.com/2010/09/fractal-pa
Hi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteYou made a lot of interesting points, especially where you discuss the possibility that humans potentially have a natural relationship to the golden ratio. This is an interesting idea that seems to suggest that humanity not only evolved to survive, but also evolved in a way that caused them to be drawn to the natural order and aesthetic represented by the ratio. If this were true, it would be a fascinating way in which humans differ from other animals, as it would mean that art was a part of human nature.