DESMA 9:Art, Science and Technology

"the further art advances the closer it approaches science, the further science advances the closer it approaches art."

Buckminster Fuller, 1938

Mathematics | PerspectiveTime | Space

TODAY 4/9/07:

• Quick Review of last week’s topics and lecture / movie on Steve Kurtz

• ZERO• Perspective• Escher• Buckminster Fuller• Mandelbrot

ZERO

"zero" derives ultimately from the Arabic sifr which also gives us the word "cipher"

Around 700 BC, uses three hooks to denote an empty place in the positional notation.On a tablet found at Kish, an ancient Mesopotamian city located east of Babylon in what is today south-central Iraq. Not used as a number but a punctuation mark

Greek astronomers began to use the symbol O. Some historians favor the explanation that it is omicron, the first letter of the Greek word for nothing -- "ouden".

Zero appeared in India in 650 AD, and spread to China and Islamic countries,It was not until the 1600’s the zero was used in the West, after encountering a lot ofresistance!

ZERO

during the Middle Ages, zero was disparaged as a mark of infidel sorcery, the sign of the Devil himself, the canceller of all meaning.

For the Mayans, Zero was the Death God among their lords of the underworld, and men adopting the persona of Zero were ritualistically sacrificed in hopes of staving off the day of zero, the time when time itself would stop.

Only much later was zero reinterpreted as a symbol of God's power to create a lot out of naught.

Upanishads

“zero = infinity”, as alluded to in the Upanishads and reflected in the Sanskrit word “poornam” which means both “zero” and “full”

Y2K bug: zero causes problems

even recently!

Recently many people throughout the world celebrated the new millennium on 1 January 2000. Of course they celebrated the passing of only 1999 years since when the calendar was set up no year zero was specified. Although one might forgive the original error, it is a little surprising that most people seemed unable to understand why the third millennium and the 21st century begin on 1 January 2001.

PERSPECTIVE

al-Haytham

Al Haytham, around 1000 A.D. gave the first correct explanation of vision,showing that light is reflected from an object into the eye. He studied the complete science of vision, called perspectiva in medieval times, and although he did not apply his ideas to painting, the Renaissance artists later made important use of his study.

Duccio:first attemptAnnunciation1316

13th century:GIOTTOThe Visitation

Not a precise formulation –Intuitive approach

BRUNELLESCHI:Credited with the first correct formulation of linear perspective, about 1413

His perspective paintings were lost but a “Trinity” fresco by Massacio from this same period still exists. He used Brunelleschi’s perspective principles.

VANISHING POINTDeveloped by Brunellesci,Massacio preservedAlberti described

Alberti’s treatise “On Painting”, 1435Written in Latin for scholars and Italian for the general audience

Perspective is necessary in order to understand painting. It is completely mathematical, concerning the roots in nature from which arise this graceful and noble art….

A painting is the intersection of a visual pyramid at a given distance, with a fixed centre and a defined position of light, represented by art with linesand colours on a given surface.

Piero de la Francesca – leading artist of his time, also leadingMathematician in 15tn century Rennaisance

Piero’s illustration of a dodecahedron

Leonardo da VinciMathematics& ArtFused into aSingle concept

"Vitruvian Man" by Leonardo da VinciGallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy

Piero de la Francesca – leading artist of his time, also leadingMathematician in 15tn century Rennaisance

Piero’s illustration of a dodecahedron

If you place the intersection one metre from the eye, the first object, being four metres from the eye, will diminish by three-quarters of its height on the intersection; and if it is eight metres from the eye it will diminish by seven-eighths and if it is sixteen metres away it will diminish by fifteen-sixteenths, and so on. As the distance doubles so the diminution will double.

DIMENSIONALITY:MOVING AWAY FROMFLATLAND

Maurits Escher

In a lecture in 1953, Escher said:I have often felt closer to people who work scientifically (though I certainly do not do so myself) than to my fellow artists.

In 1958 he met mathematician Coxeter and they became life-long friends. In 1995,Coxeter published a paper which proved that Escher reached mathematicalperfection in one of his etchings.[Escher] got it absolutely right to the millimetre, absolutely to the millimetre ....Unfortunately he didn't live long enough to see my mathematical vindication.

Circle Limit III

In mathematical quarters, the regular division of the plane has been considered theoretically. ...

[Mathematicians] have opened the gate leading to an extensive domain, but they have not entered this domain themselves. By their very nature they are more interested in the way in which the gate is opened than in the garden lying behind it.

Buckminster Fuller

Octet Truss

Tensegrity

Geodesic dome

Synergetics

How they work

Buckminster Fuller

Fuller’s visions

Artists influenced by Buckminster Fuller:John CageJoseph AlbersKenneth Snelson

Others impressed by himBucky class we Elaine de Kooning andJoseph Albers, Black Mountain college, 1948

Mandelbrot:

The Psychedelic world of

FRACTALS

IPAM

A Public Lecture: The Nature of Roughness in Mathematics, Science and Art

presented by Benoit Mandelbrot

Time and Location:April 16, 2007, 4:30 pmLaKretz Hall (click on core-south), Room 110