Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Bringing Mathematics Into Art Schools

By Michael Robert Peterson


The way that visuals are created has shifted tremendously towards technology, to some degree, within schools that specialize in art. While CGI can be beneficial for a number of reasons, I am of the opinion that it should never a crutch and that there is something to be said about the methods of the past. Drawings can be very appealing and I believe that the work of Rafael Araujo is proof of this. Not only has be found himself lost in art but he managed to do so while incorporating mathematical tools.

An article on CNN.com covered the work of Rafael Araujo and the way that it's been conceived is interesting. Instead of utilizing a computer to create his intricate illustrations, he instead puts a ruler and protractor to use. One can make the assumption that this is an archaic method to utilize, as there are far more advanced ways to create visuals. While this isn't necessarily wrong, the truth of the matter is that the basics used by Araujo serve to make his creations that much more interesting.

Araujo utilized geometry in one of his creations in order to draw butterflies, each of them traveling along paths that would be made from lines. There is an element of challenge to consider with creating spiral designs with the simplest of tools, which is a realization that those in art schools may know about. With that said, Araujo's work shows that there is a sense of precision to consider in not only math but art in general. It's also worth noting that Araujo claimed that he, "began drawing perspective almost out of the blue."

Math class isn't exactly something that I recall with the utmost accuracy; to say whether or not Araujo's methods were best is an act I cannot carry out. With that said, though, no one has to be an expert in art to see that Araujo's work was impressive. The fact that he was able to create pieces of art with mathematical tools set in place is brilliant, especially when even the act of making a perfect circle can be troublesome. Araujo put forth the best efforts and, in my view, they more than paid off.

When it comes to the best elements of art, in general, color has to be noted. This is where, in my view, the best designs can be made and then gone on to be made even better; of course, the right hues have to be incorporated. Keep in mind that color is just one of the many hurdles in the path of any artists; this should give you a general idea of the amount of effort that is needed. Judging by how dynamic the works of Araujo have been in the past, I have no doubt that he can overcome the hurdles in question.




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