Within the many subjects you learn at school, a couple of them are math and art. Some of you may like math more than art, vice versa, or some may like both. On the surface, you may view math as numbers and variables only, and art as a way to express creativity only. It seems like both subjects are completely separate with math seen as analytical and art seen as creativity. However, there are many things that connect between math and art. Although these are things you may not realize, there are times where math leads art and other times where art leads math. There are many overlaps between these two insights, but the most common ones include: shapes, math functions, and symmetry.
1. Shapes
Shapes are most likely one of the first things you learn in math class. When you began learning about shapes, some of the shapes you learn could include circles, squares, triangles, etc… . Ever since you’ve learned about shapes, there is a huge chance that you’ve applied that knowledge from math to art. The majority of the art pieces you observe and/or create will include shapes because of how simple or complex they can be. Every time you draw the sun, you are blindly applying that knowledge from math as you draw them. When it comes to geometry, you are exposed to many more shapes, and have more shapes to express yourself with in art projects. In short, shapes that you learn from math are some of the things you can be creative with in art, from overlapping shapes, intersecting shapes, etc… .
2. Math Functions
The further you get into math in high school, the more you learn about functions. In simple terms favored towards art, functions are essentially math equations that can give off many cool patterns. For example, every time you draw a straight line, you can draw that same line through a function in math class. All curves, shapes, and letters can be drawn through functions in math. Similar to shapes, you can be as creative as you wish when it comes to drawing functions. The art aspect of math functions comes from having the knowledge on how to create patterns.
Fun fact: If you advance to a class like Math 30 in high school, you get to learn how to adjust the structure of a function. You get to learn how to stretch, reflect, and even move the entire function.
3. Symmetry
While the first two are where math leads art, this one is where art leads math. First and foremost, symmetry means that one side looks the same as another through a certain “mirror” line. The idea of symmetry is more likely to come up first in art than math since the idea is directed more towards creativity than being analyzed. While the first two are concepts that math that can be applied to art, this one is where utilizing your imagination helps with math.
– Example of a symmetrical object
In math, especially in a higher level, when given a problem, having an expectation on what the answer should look like helps to see if you could be right or wrong. By having a creative imagination, you can apply it to math and use that imagination as an assistance. When it comes to symmetry, that idea can be used as an assistance as you work through math problems. Although symmetry can only help when it comes to reflections, there are many other ways to utilize art to predict an answer.
Closing Section
There are an incredible amount of connections between math and art. However, these simple ones are some of the many beautiful connections between the two subjects. As mentioned earlier, there are times where math leads art, and vice versa. The things you learn in math class can be applied towards art and the same with art towards math. Although those are two are distinct subjects, they are interconnected like every other subject in school. While you may be biased towards one or another or none, I hope this blog helped you admire both!
