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.