Cambridge artist blends math and art
UW math faculty celebrates 50 years with conference
WATERLOO — Andrew James Smith says there are still plenty of discoveries to be made in this world.
As proof, the Cambridge artist points to the unique spiral in his painting “Protogon Triptych.”
“Mathematically, you can show in this case it’s distinct,” Smith said.
Smith’s art was on display at the University of Waterloo this weekend as part of the Bridges Math Art Conference, an annual event that examines the relationship between mathematics and the arts. It’s travelled all over the world since its inception in 1998.
The Waterloo event, hosted by the mathematics faculty as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, attracted more than 300 mathematicians, scientists, sculptors, dancers and others from an interdisciplinary group spanning six continents.
For Smith, who has been using geometry as inspiration for most of his career as an artist, it was gratifying to see mathematical art celebrated.
“There is an interest in it,” he said.
His art was included in a special exhibition of five local artists who explore mathematical themes in their work that was held at the university’s art gallery held in conjunction with the conference.
“All the work is beautiful,” Smith said. “It’s almost ethereal.”
Smith also presented his academic paper called “The Discovery and Application of the Protogon’s Spiral” at the conference on Saturday, the writing prompted by mathematicians who saw his work and asked why they hadn’t heard of this spiral. “I accepted that challenge,” Smith said.
The triptych is based on a sketch he made back in 1968, and rediscovered and then developed. Equal-length straight lines are rotated to create the spiral.
Smith created the image on a computer, and then made adjustments to innumerable corners to get it just right. Each section of the triptych has about 100 polygons and 5,000 points.
“There’s a lot of tweaking,” Smith said.
Then he made it big — six metres — creating an effect on the viewer that is “visceral.” Walking toward the canvas, the central image looks like a moving tunnel.
Smith used 48 shades of grey, and black and white for the dizzying spiral.
“It looks as though it’s just going on forever, which is a phenomenal feeling,” Smith said.
While other types of spirals are found in nature, such as a sunflower, Smith hasn’t found any examples of his spiral yet. He thinks it may exist, perhaps on an atomic level.
Smith said it’s often bemoaned that everything is derivative and there is nothing new left to create. “We often feel we live on the backs of geniuses,” he said.
But his spiral shows “individuals can contribute things that are the result of just thought.”