Do Numbers Count in the Visual Arts: 

A look at some modern examples where they might Speaker: John G. Hatch 

Date: November 14th, 2024, noon- 1 pm

The seminar meets in zoom online, and is jointly co-hosted with Nature Collab and the Department of Mathematics

Topic: Art and Math Seminar John Hatch

Time: Nov 14, 2024 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

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https://ksu.zoom.us/j/96871086491?pwd=HfIB3plTjCN4byoMHgHrDEVI3uCCUZ.1

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The meeting is jointly co-hosted with Nature Collab and the Department of Mathematics

The seminar meets in zoom online. To attend the please complete the 2024-2025 academic year registration form.

Link: Sent to registered participants by e-mail one hour before the talk.

Abstract: Rarely does one meet an artist who has a love for mathematics. In fact, quite a few became artists because they hated the subject in high school or, put more simply and honestly, they just weren’t good at it. As with everything, there are exceptions. I’ll be looking at some examples of modern artists who were fascinated by the role mathematics and its products could play in art. Their interests will range from non-Euclidean geometries, space-time formulations, irrational and imaginary numbers, 3-D mathematical models, and sequences such as the Fibonacci numbers. In many cases, the results were highly innovative even if the understanding was rudimentary and occasionally wrong.

About the speaker:  Dr. John G. Hatch is associate professor of art history in the Department of Visual Arts at Western University in London Ontario where he teaches modern art and design. He received his doctorate from the University of Essex (U.K.) in art history and theory. Dr. Hatch’s research has frequently examined the points of convergence between art and science. His articles have looked at a range of topics including the geometry of ancient Greek temple design, the influence of Keplerian cosmology on Italian Baroque architecture, entropy’s role in the earthworks of Robert Smithson, and most recently the impact of relativistic theories on De Stijl architecture and design. The sciences are also a key focal point in the monographs Dr. Hatch has written on the Canadian landscape painters Paterson Ewen and Kazuo Nakamura.

Webpage of John Hatch:https://www.uwo.ca/visarts/about/facultypages/hatch_j.html