Summary: Hart, an applied mathematician and sculptor, starts his article with two side by side images. One of his sculpture, Solar Flair, that is based on the A5 symmetry of the icosahedron and one by Jasper Johns, Numbers, that shows a 2x5 array of the digits 0-9. With these he poses the question: “Math/art is becoming a standard term, but what exactly is it or should it be?” (p. 520)
Hart goes on to explain that while the field of math/art is growing, there is not yet a framework that defines or situates the field. What are its core values? Is it a branch of applied mathematics? Or a separate discipline altogether? To answer these questions, he suggests that examples be studied to look for connections and generalizations.
Hart feels that math/art products must bring forward aspects of “mathematical pleasure.” (p. 524) He argues that math appeals to people because of the joys in reasoning and understanding with clarity, and that mathematical artworks should perpetuate those aspects. He feels that math/art can deepen reasoning and understanding by “somehow saying something beyond words.” (p. 525) Audiences of math/art may include mathematicians, but also math educators, math learners and the general public. It is accessible at many levels, to deepen your mathematical understanding and make new connections.
Hart acknowledges that traditional art institutions like galleries and museums are not showcasing math/art readily. He figures this may be because products are not traditional “fine art” formats that would showcase culture, but rather are often crafts, designs, models and visualizations. He wonders if attaching a name other than “art” to math/art might make it more accepted by artists and art fields. This opens the discussion to math/art being a space that is maybe not within the art field or the math field, but rather a bridge in between, a space unto itself.
The article concludes with Hart encouraging everyone, especially mathematicians, to create art. Not only because it is rewarding, but because it is akin to solving a difficult problem. It lifts your spirit and promotes deeper understanding.
Stop 1: “One cannot hope to approach the topic as in a text book with definitions and theorems already laid out. Instead, one must see it more like a challenge as a group problem-solving session, where one ponders examples and counter-examples and enjoys the communal process of beginner to sort through and make sense of an initially confusing cloud of ideas.” (p 521) This made me think of the mathematical mindsets and habits we want to promote in students. Right now, for most of mine, it is hard to take the time to explore and persist with a task. Getting out of the habit of an instant, spoon-fed answer and into dialogue, I am finding, is a tough transition. Perhaps exploring examples of math/art and making our own math/art can continue to foster this transition.
Stop 2: “Artists generally aim to communicate something to their viewers. In contemporary fine art, the message is often a social or political viewpoint, with the artist daring to push boundaries and speak truths not otherwise heard. Math/art is characteristically tamer.” (p. 524) A few times throughout the article, Hart notions that math/art is maybe seen as “lesser” art because it lacks culture and impact. I am not sure that I agree. As someone (like many of us) who was raised in traditional-school-type-math experiences, I am just now seeing mathematics as broad and open and creative and with so many more possibilities than I realized. I think that math/art pushes us out of this traditional math culture and helps to expand mathematics to more people. Isn’t that pushing a boundary and speaking a truth? Maybe because Hart is a mathematician that already lives in this broad, open and creative world of maths he doesn’t see it the same, but I would argue that much of the population (and education) is not in that same place.
Stop 3: “Those who have journeyed through mathematical lands have unique stories to tell of what they found and how they now see the world.” (p. 525) I think this is an absolutely beautiful quote. It is situated in the concluding aspects of the article when Hart is encouraging everyone to make art (especially mathematicians.) I think that this statement is true, not only for mathematicians that want to share the story of their journey of understanding, but to each and every student that brings their unique perspective and approach to looking at, learning and understanding maths. This inspires me to inspire learners to be creators!
Questions:
- Have you used any specific example of math/art in your math practice with students?
- What kinds of math/art might you be interested in having students create?
Reference:
Hart, G. W. (2024). What can we say about “math/art”? Notices of the American Mathematical Society, 71(4), 520–525.
Nichola, the paper I read this week picks up where Hart ends! Futamuro (2025) takes Harts suggestions and presses on developing a framework for creating the manifesto that is suggested by Hart.
ReplyDeleteAddressing your stop number 2, I agree with you in the broader sense of traditional mathematics… doing Math/Art is a leap toward the right kind of engagement! I remember in an earlier course, a mathematician said that we are mainly consumers of math – sit down, learn this formula, use it here, don’t know it yet? Consume these tips and tricks, etc. It is rare in junior mathematics that one can be a creator, let alone in higher levels. The idea of developing some sort of self-expression with a foundation in mathematics should be something we all aspire to accomplish and encourage in our students.
I want to support this point with George Hart’s quote: “Mathematicians in particular are attuned to fascinating ideas that might be shown in original artistic forms” (Hart, 2024, p. 525). And the quote ties in well with your stop 3 in that developing art with a mathematical edge, mathematical goal (with/without a political/cultural objective), or mathematical perspective may tap into unknown or unobserved forms which would lead to exciting novel experiences worth engaging in as both a creator and consumer.
This year I did a lot of little projects with my grade 9 students in terms of ratios and proportional understandings: We created musical instruments to listen to fractions. Next time I teach this topic of ratios/proportions, I want to start with looking at the artwork from Bridget Riley (1961) called Movement in Squares. Have students notice, wonder about it. Then using a template I found on https://www.youcubed.org/tasks/optical-art-task/ from Jo Boaler, develop optical illusion artwork through working with ratios.