While art and science may seem as though they have nothing in common, there are a surprising number of overlaps if you take the time to look for them. As someone with a background in science and math as opposed to art, finding these crossovers between the subjects has really helped me appreciate art in a new way. A great example of this is Jackson Pollock's work with drip painting. I have seen Pollock's work before but I have always been in the category of people who criticize his abstract form for being meaningless and able to be done by anyone. His paint drips, however, contain much more complexity (fractals) than I previously thought. This intricacy makes the painting infinitely more interesting to me because it is no longer just random paint splatters in my mind.
Fractals in architecture
Besides providing another aspect to the paintings that make them interesting, fractals are also inherently aesthetically-pleasing patterns. This helps to explain why people like paintings along the lines of Pollock's abstract paint splatter work. Fractal art even comes with some benefits. Recent studies have stated that fractals have the potential to reduce stress because of their aesthetic qualities. Even though people may not be aware of it, the visual complexity of fractals is interesting to us and has a noticeable effect on our brains. In another modern mashup of science and art, YouTube videos of fractals have hundreds of thousands of views, most likely because of the same reasons Pollock's art became so popular. Ultimately, our art and science seem to have always been intertwined and will continue to be.
Fractal Video on YouTube
References:
Anae. “The Facts about Pollock's Fractals.” University of Oregon, 4 Jan. 2017, blogs.uoregon.edu/richardtaylor/2017/01/04/the-facts-about-pollocks-fractals/.
Ouellette, J. “Pollock's Fractals” Discover Magazine, discovermagazine.com/2001/nov/featpollock.
Taylor, R.p. “Reduction of Physiological Stress Using Fractal Art and Architecture.” Leonardo, vol. 39, no. 3, 2006, pp. 245–251., doi:10.1162/leon.2006.39.3.245. Taylor, Richard, and Materials Science Institute. “Fractal Patterns in Nature and Art Are Aesthetically Pleasing and Stress-Reducing.” The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2018, theconversation.com/fractal-patterns-in-nature-and-art-are-aesthetically-pleasing-and-stress- reducing-73255.
Interesting post! I also hadn't realized that Pollock's work would be considered fractals - it's an interesting lens to critique his art from. The psychological aspect you brought up was also new to me. It's pretty cool that science can prove that a certain type of art is objectively "pleasing" and "stress reducing."
Example of brainbow imaging With the concept of art and creativity being as broad as it is, I find it interesting to view the results of medical technology as being artistic. I am also surprised by how much of medicine can be viewed through the lens of art. Great examples of this from class are exhibits like Bodies or artistic viewings of MRI readings. One of my favorites, however, is brainbow. Brainbow is a neuro-imaging method where different cell types are differentiated using fluorescent proteins. There are multiple different colors available and each color can be used to color a specific cell type. This method of visualizing the brain produces some beautiful images which are not only fascinating to look at but also can provide scientific insight into the anatomy of our brains. X-Men character undergoing a medical procedure Another area where art and medical technology cross over is in movies, specifically in the recently more popular super hero movies. Some of these fi...
Buckyball This week we discussed the current state of nanotechnology and it's current relationship with art. The first aspect of nanotechnology which interested me was the idea that nanotechnology has benefited from discoveries in other areas. The first example of this is the inspiration behind how the Buckminsterfullerenes (also known as the buckyball) was discovered. The buckyball is a molecular form of carbon which uses 60 carbon molecules to form a sphere. This molecule was known of in the past, but its structure was not discovered until Richard E. Smalley looked into architecture. By looking at geodesic domes, which were popularized by Richard Buckminster Fuller, Smalley was able to figure out the buckyball's structure. This is a perfect example of the crossover between nanotechnology and art. Like many other forms of science, nanotech and art have been able to learn and develop together even though they may seem like contradictory ideas. Morpho butterfly In the ...
Interesting post! I also hadn't realized that Pollock's work would be considered fractals - it's an interesting lens to critique his art from. The psychological aspect you brought up was also new to me. It's pretty cool that science can prove that a certain type of art is objectively "pleasing" and "stress reducing."
ReplyDelete