The Biggest Problem To Overcome With Math-Art
Waterfall by M. C. Escher 1961
The biggest problem to overcome with math-art in general is that it is tied to two mutually exclusive aesthetic ideas. One idea being that pure mathematics pervades all cultures. The second is that Art is the expression of a particular culture. Math being the language of logic shares the same logic in France as it does in China. Art may express an archetype but the ‘expression’ is cultural. I believe these two ideas are true in a broad sense although there is a little room for argument in the finer details.
I feel that using math as a language for art demands that the mathematical expression or structure has to have some relationship to the cultural idea put forward. There is much mathematical art expressed which is beautiful from a mathematical perspective but trivial from an art perspective. Furthermore, the converse of this is true as well. There is mathematical art that artists may find beautiful however, evokes yawns from the mathematics community.
I think the measure of success of any mathematical art lies in how well it is accepted by both communities. This is a very difficult task and there is a plethora of work accepted by one community but not the other. I think the most successful artist that is accepted by both communities is M C Escher. Even though his acceptance is expressed more by the math community than the art community this cannot be helped. Finding the middle ground would be near if not impossible. At the other end of the spectrum, I am going to risk saying that I believe you are delusional if you believe you have made great math art/poetry and you are accepted by only one community no matter how much croaking the one community does.
6 comments:
i had to come back and look at your site again. it really intrigued me. i haven't had any math classes for a while, but i recall, from back when i had it on my mind all the time, doing this same sort of thing in my mind. i would replace the values in a math problem with non-mathematical concepts. it's strange to find out it's an actual art form. i had never heard of this before.
lol, it's getting stuck in my head, like a song you hear on the radio.....i'm sitting here studying for a pathophysiology exam and thinking, "burst aneurysm = the square root of [aneurysm wall thickness times blood pressure] divided by [activity level + how many children you have + other current life stress - your most recent vacation]" hee hee
Thank you Sarah for visiting the site ... math poetry has been around along time but only recently have a few of us tried to make a movement out of it.
I like your poem you should do more. I think you have the knack!
i was just being silly......too much studying is frying my brain!
Tifinie,
My spelling is not much better than yours. I think we just don’t place much importance on it for it seems less important, when viewed next to all of our problems.
I have to say that I once hated myself and hated the world. Strangely enough, at the time I didn’t even know it and I would guess that I was much older than you. Sometimes it feels like the dark-side is more honest and its power more accessible. However, I must point out that it is an illusion, for the dark-side masquerades as the light-side and eventually brings you more pain. Look at the world today with religious fundamentalists at each others throat screaming, “God is on my side!” I believe there is no God on either side for it’s just the devil dancing in drag. All that aside Tifinie, the battle that you and I struggle is not with them, it is within us. We must be our own warrior and fight the fear in us to win. We must become our own hero and transform our fear into love. We must first love ourselves and then everyone else. I know it is difficult but you are on the path and deep down you probably know it. I have found success with love comes a little at a time, first me then them, then me then them etc. Sometimes the steps are extremely small but every one of them helps a little bit. It’s a life long struggle Tifinie, but it’s a wonderful life.
Kaz
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