Leonardo carefully drew the man, known to us as Vitruvian Man, and placed him within two well-known geometric shapes, a circle and a square, a composition that is noteworthy, considering the structure of the drawing.Īnd have you heard of the Golden Ratio? Also known as Divine Proportion, this is a real irrational algebra constant which has the approximate value of 1.618. According to the calculations, the measure of the length of the open arms of a man is equal to his height, for example. In this sketch, which is one of the most celebrated works by da Vinci, the artist used mathematics to elaborate the ideal proportions of the human body. In 1490, Leonardo da Vinci puts on paper the concept of proportion conceived by Vitruvius, a Roman architect of the first century of our era. One of the most significant works in this sense is actually a study. Leonardo da Vinci, Vitruvius Man, 1490, Gallerie dell'Accademia But this connection became, in fact, more apparent during the Renaissance when artists realized that basic notions of mathematics such as perspective and symmetry would make the artwork more realistic. In pre-Columbian cultures, for example, there is a multitude of artworks (actually, aesthetic artefacts) that demonstrate the knowledge of geometric patterns. The relationships between art and math are older than we think.
Just as I felt when I began to study art history, the kids were also surprised to realize that many artworks they knew had fundamental mathematical references. In order to help them, together with the math teacher I offer an elective course called "The Art of Mathematics" (okay, it was not a very creative name, I know). Do you doubt it? If so, stay with me and I'll show you a little of this fascinating relationship.Īs a teacher at a high school, I see how much the teenagers suffer when studying calculus. So when I went to study art history I was surprised to see how closely art and math are linked. Do you like math? Well, many of us might have had some problems with it when we were in school (I, at least, had many!) and got fed up with it.
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