Mathematics and Art

[Synopsis]

This book traces the course of history to explore the relationship between mathematics and art. Pythagoras proposed that "all things are numbers," and later, the Poetics and the Elements established principles for art and mathematics. Then came the Renaissance, when the visual arts became linked with geometry. Its central figures included Alberti, Leonardo da Vinci, and Durer. In the century of geniuses, many figures crossed disciplinary boundaries, including Bach, the "mathematician among musicians," and Gauss, the "Prince of Mathematics." Over the past two centuries, many schools of thought have emerged, along with psychoanalysis and non-Euclidean geometry, Surrealism and Expressionism, topology and abstract algebra. The first pair reflects a theoretical affinity, while the latter two pairs represent creative and research practices.