I never understood the significant impact that math had on
artist’s creativity. Math influences art by more than just providing correct
proportions; Math pushes the boundaries in art by providing new space for
artists to work with. Math creates new perspective for artists.
Henderson’s
article and the Flatland story gave me two different interpretations of the impact
that math has created in art.
The first interpretation I got was that the 4th dimension was a symbol of liberation for artists. They were no longer confined to a single time and space. The second interpretation I got was that the 4th dimension is an expansion on and with the dimensions before it. Artists are no longer confined to a single time and space. Cubism challenged the 2nd and 3rd dimension. Cubist artist attempted to contradict the notion that there is a fixed order, in relation to time and space. “Nude Descending a Staircase” by Duchamp, challenges the notion of time by moving away from the 3rd dimension and into the 4th dimension. The painting is superimposing multiple moments into a single piece. Also, there is the added dimension of time. The other interpretation builds off of and combines the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd dimensions together to make the 4th dimension. Whereas the other interpretation had to do with time and space, this has to do with space and interaction.
An art piece that I really enjoy is the “Ink
Drops to the Origins”. It shows the movement of paper through space. The piece
starts with pieces of paper separated from each other in space. They are
one-dimensional. As the art piece continues, the papers come together to form a
stack. This helped me to understand the 4th dimension because a
one-dimensional object was developed into a 3-Dimensional object and continued,
while also including time as a factor. “Ink Drops To The Origins” challenges perspective
by intruding into new space and building off of the previous dimension. 
Also, “The Rotating Tower in London” explores
the 4th dimension by
having each floor move in different directions depending on time. The shape of
the building is never the same. The building is affected by current
circumstances and time.
From this
week's lecture, I have come to the conclusion that when put together math, art,
and science are combined into a single entity. An artist relies on math to
broaden their creativity in their artwork.
Resources:
1. "The Fourth Dimension." - EscherMath. Web. 04 Apr. 2016. http://euler.slu.edu/escher/index.php/The_Fourth_Dimension
2. Pavlopoulos, Theodor. "The Fourth Dimension in Painting: Cubism and Futurism." The Peacocks Tail. 19 Mar. 2011. Web. 04 Apr. 2016. <https://pavlopoulos.wordpress.com/2011/03/19/painting-and-fourth-dimension-cubism-and-futurism/>.
3. "Ink Drops to the Origins, 2013." ART COM Studios. Web. 04 Apr. 2016. <https://artcom.de/en/project/ink-drops-to-the-origins/>.
4. "Flatland." , by E. A. Abbott, 1884. Web. 04 Apr. 2016. <http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/eaa/FL.HTM>.
5. Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-euclidean
Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion”. Leonardo 17.3 (1984): 205–210. Web
I really loved reading about what you learned from Abott's book and your interpretation of the concepts discussed in the book. "Flatland" did little help when I was trying to dig deeper to find the connection between math and art and your perspective really helps me realize how this book links math and art together. I also loved your discussion of the 4th dimension and how it relates to art.
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