Two complementary ways of linking math and art

Abstract

I am a very visually oriented person. Geometry has been in my blood since high-school, when I was given a copy of Hermann Weyl’s book “Symmetry” [12]. Formal mathematical proofs do not appeal to me until I can get some visualization model that supports that proof on an intuitive level. This is why I have been captivated by topics such as regular maps, graph embeddings, and mathematical knots. Corresponding visualization models have led to geometrical sculptures that convey an aesthetic message even to people who do not know the underlying mathematics. Conversely, abstract geometrical artwork by artists such as Brent Collins and Charles O. Perry have prompted me to discover the underlying mathematical principles and capture them in computer programs, which then produce more sculptures of the same kind.