Week 2: Math + Art


     When I was a child, I was not a very artistic person. Rather, I enjoyed the topics of math and science. However, it wasn't until I was introduced to the Golden Ratio in middle school did I truly appreciate art. It was mind-blowing to me: a single number can have such a huge implication on how a figure looks. However, what I never considered, was the Golden Ratio applied to humans.
The Golden Ratio...

...is Amazing
   In Professor Vensa's lecture, she mentioned the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci. It was truly fascinating to see how the ideal male body followed the Golden Ratio. Also, according to a website devoted to the Golden Ratio, your arms and hands are filled with golden ratios as well. The proportion of the hand and forearm is the golden ratio. Also, if you curl your index finger as shown below, it forms the Golden rectangle. It is mind-boggling to me how the body can follow a number in even the most minute of details.


In one of the videos the professor linked titled "Golden Ratio - The Perfect Face & Change the Sex of People", it showed how attractive movie stars have faces that are proportionate to the Golden Ratio. In addition, it also showed how you can change the apparent sex of a person by changing features such as eye shape and jawline to fit various forms of the golden ratio. There is no scientific reason behind these preferences; it's just how our mind perceives features.
The mask on Angelina Jolie's face have angles and lengths decided by the Golden Ratio

Photoshoppers and designers today are using the Golden Ratio to create their own "art". In order to make a person appear more beautiful, they edit the pictures to fit golden ratio. The picture below shows the effect of the Golden Ratio on a human's face. It is scientifically true that the edited face on the right is more beautiful than the one on the left.
A photo edited to the Golden Ratio. Left is unedited while the right is the face fitted to the Golden Ratio 

Until this week's lecture, I had no idea about the connection mathematics had with art and beauty. The golden ratio and its effect on our perception of beauty is an enigma, even today.



Sources:
Vensa, Victoria. “Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.”

Meisner, Gary. “Human Hand and Foot.” Goldennumber.net, 16 May 2012, www.goldennumber.net/human-hand-foot/.

jimmyrcom. Golden Ratio- The Perfect Face & Change the Sex of People, YouTube, 23 July 2007, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO3o9drC1mQ.

Chang, Samantha. “Beauty Pays: Beautiful People Are Happier And Earn More Money Says Economist.” Celebrityhealthfitness.com, Celebrityhealthfitness, 7 July 2016, www.celebrityhealthfitness.com/38797/beauty-pays-beautiful-people-are-happier-earn-more-money-says-economist/.

“- The Institute For Figuring -.” - The Institute For Figuring -, www.theiff.org/.

PhotoshopSurgeon. YouTube, YouTube, 5 Mar. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeAm1cc9lIM.

Comments

  1. Haeun BangApril 18, 2018 at 1:45 PM

    I also have never thought about the connection of mathematics with art and beauty. It is very interesting to see so many different aspects of the golden ratio. Especially, the presence of golden ratio on human body, even the hands and fingers, is fascinating. Although it is true that a face with golden ratio is the standard of being beautiful, I hope we can also enjoy beauty without the golden ratio:)

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