Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art: Content, Form, Meaning

by Robert Tubbs

Overview

Chips away at the notion of an accidental relationship between math and art and literature.

During the twentieth century, many artists and writers turned to abstract mathematical ideas to help them realize their aesthetic ambitions. Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and, perhaps most famously, Piet Mondrian used principles of mathematics in their work. Was it mere coincidence, or were these artists simply following their instincts, which in turn were ruled by mathematical underpinnings, such as optimal solutions for filling a space? If math exists within visual art, can it be found within literary pursuits? In short, just what is the relationship between mathematics and the creative arts?

In this provocative, original exploration of mathematical ideas in art and literature, Robert Tubbs argues that the links are much stronger than previously imagined and exceed both coincidence and commonality of purpose. Not only does he argue that mathematical ideas guided the aesthetic visions of many twentieth-century artists and writers, Tubbs further asserts that artists and writers used math in their creative processes even though they seemed to have no affinity for mathematical thinking.

In the end, Tubbs makes the case that art can be better appreciated when the math that inspired it is better understood. An insightful tour of the great masters of the last century and an argument that challenges long-held paradigms, Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art will appeal to mathematicians, humanists, and artists, as well as instructors teaching the connections among math, literature, and art.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421413808
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	07/15/2014
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robert Tubbs is an associate professor of mathematics at the University of Colorado–Boulder and author of What Is a Number? Mathematical Concepts and Their Origins, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Chronology xiii

1 Surrealist Writing, Mathematical Surfaces, and New Geometries 1

Mathematical Imagery and Images 1

Man Ray and Mathematical Surfaces 7

Geometries, Flat and Curved 11

2 Objects, Axioms, and Constraints 18

Black Squares and Axioms 18

Geometry without Objects/ Literature without Words 22

3 Abstraction in Art, Literature, and Mathematics 30

The White Paintings 30

Abstract Numbers 33

Structure 37

4 Literature, the Möbius Strip, and Infinite Numbers 44

Concrete Art 44

The Möbius Strip and Literature 49

Concrete Mathematics and Infinite Numbers 54

5 Klein Forms and the Fourth Dimension 63

In the Labyrinth 63

Surfaces, Mysticism, and the Fourth Dimension 69

6 Paths, Graphs, and Texts 78

Literature and Choice 78

Mathematical Graph Theory 84

A Play Based on a Graph 87

7 Poetry, Permutations, and Zeckendorf's Theorem 90

Structured and Programmed Poems 90

Concrete Poetry and Mathematical Images 99

8 Numbers and Meaning 105

Targets, Numbers, and Equations 105

Numbers: Imagined and Imaginary 111

9 Randomness, Arbitrariness, and Perfect Numbers 117

Dada Poetry 117

Disorder and Art 119

Arbitrariness 124

10 The Art world 131

Notes 141

Bibliography 149

Index 155

What People are Saying About This

"A refreshing and unusual contribution that should appeal to a larger audience than mathematicians alone, including historians and art theorists. Tubbs’s focus on artists whose mathematical intentions are made clear by the artists themselves is original."

From the Publisher

A refreshing and unusual contribution that should appeal to a larger audience than mathematicians alone, including historians and art theorists. Tubbs’s focus on artists whose mathematical intentions are made clear by the artists themselves is original.
—Janice Sklensky, Wheaton College

Janice Sklensky

A refreshing and unusual contribution that should appeal to a larger audience than mathematicians alone, including historians and art theorists. Tubbs’s focus on artists whose mathematical intentions are made clear by the artists themselves is original.

Editorial Reviews

Books like Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art help us get rid of prejudices, and indeed open our eyes to see.

Mathematical Reviews - Capi Corrales-Rodrigáñez

For those viewing mathematics and the creative arts as distinctly separate endeavors, Tubbs provides an insightful treatise that proves otherwise . . . Though the content of Tubbs's book is challenging, it is also accessible and should interest many on both sides of the perceived divide between mathematics and the arts.

Choice

A beautiful narration. . . Every chapter is well balanced between the mathematical side and the art side.

Zentralblatt Math - Riccardo Moschetti

Tubbs’s exposition proves so clear and thorough that the mathematical novice reading Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art receives an introductory course in the fundamentals of higher mathematics. . . Reluctant mathematicians will be delighted to discover that Tubbs’s mathematical explanations afford new analyses of canonical artworks.

Make Literary Magazine

"Books like Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art help us get rid of prejudices, and indeed open our eyes to see."

Mathematical Reviews - Capi Corrales-Rodrigáñez

"A fascinating journey through the works of modern art and literature... This book can be seen as a guide to understanding the various movements that emerged within artistic circles in the 20th century. Tubbs does an excellent job of leading the reader through this world of ideas, gently guiding the non-mathematicians through the panorama of advanced mathematics, and mathematicians and those who are artistically naive to an appreciate of the world of modern art and literature... The book serves as a compass to guide the reader to a better understanding of modern art."

LMS Newsletter - Jay Kapraff

For those viewing mathematics and the creative arts as distinctly separate endeavors, Tubbs provides an insightful treatise that proves otherwise . . . Though the content of Tubbs's book is challenging, it is also accessible and should interest many on both sides of the perceived divide between mathematics and the arts.
—Choice

A fascinating journey through the works of modern art and literature. . . This book can be seen as a guide to understanding the various movements that emerged within artistic circles in the 20th century. Tubbs does an excellent job of leading the reader through this world of ideas, gently guiding the non-mathematicians through the panorama of advanced mathematics, and mathematicians and those who are artistically naive to an appreciate of the world of modern art and literature. . . The book serves as a compass to guide the reader to a better understanding of modern art.
—Jay Kapraff, LMS Newsletter

A beautiful narration. . . Every chapter is well balanced between the mathematical side and the art side.
—Riccardo Moschetti, Zentralblatt Math

Books like Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art help us get rid of prejudices, and indeed open our eyes to see.
—Capi Corrales-Rodrigáñez, Mathematical Reviews

Tubbs’s exposition proves so clear and thorough that the mathematical novice reading Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art receives an introductory course in the fundamentals of higher mathematics. . . Reluctant mathematicians will be delighted to discover that Tubbs’s mathematical explanations afford new analyses of canonical artworks.
—Make Literary Magazine

From the Publisher