Viewpoints

An undergraduate textbook devoted exclusively to relationships between mathematics and art,Viewpointsis ideally suited for math-for-liberal-arts courses and mathematics courses for fine arts majors. The textbook contains a wide variety of classroom-tested activities and problems, a series of essays by contemporary artists written especially for the book, and a plethora of pedagogical and learning opportunities for instructors and students. Viewpointsfocuses on two mathematical areas: perspective related to drawing man-made forms and fractal geometry related to drawing natural forms. Bringing students into the three-dimensional world to understand mathematical concepts behind the art, the textbook explores art topics including comic, anamorphic, and classical art, and photography, while presenting such mathematical ideas as proportion, ratio, self-similarity, exponents, and logarithms. Straightforward problems and rewarding solutions empower students to make accurate, sophisticated drawings. Personal essays and short biographies by contemporary artists are interspersed between chapters and are accompanied by images of their work. These fine artists--who include mathematicians and scientists--examine how mathematics influences their art. Accessible to students of all levels,Viewpointsencourages experimentation and collaboration, and captures the essence of artistic and mathematical creation and discovery. Classroom-tested activities and problem solving Accessible problems move beyond regular art school curriculum Multiple solutions of varying difficulty and applicability Appropriate for students of all mathematics and art levels Original and exclusive essays by contemporary artists Solutions manual (available only to teachers)