Date of Award
5-2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Department
Mathematics, Physics and Statistics
Abstract
The connection between mathematics and art is ancient. In times long ago, scholars did not divide the two subjects as arbitrarily as many do today. In fact, according to Morris Kline, “geometry, philosophy, logic, and art were all expressions of one type of mind, one outlook on the universe” [10]. The Greeks, for instance, considered mathematics to be an art based on its qualities of order, consistency, completeness, and definiteness, which to them defined beauty. In the eighteenth century, scholars tried to define beauty by mathematical formulas, unfortunately without great success. Kline also makes a 20th-century argument for mathematics as an art, justifying his claim by explaining that math fulfills the artistic criteria of possessing design, harmony, and beauty, and of serving as a creative outlet [10]. Clearly, mathematics has been deeply connected to and played a role in art throughout history.
Recommended Citation
Killian, Julie, "The Math - Craft Connection" (2013). Honors Projects and Presentations: Undergraduate. 98.
https://mosaic.messiah.edu/honors/98
