"Bulent Atalay examines the science and mathematics that underlie Leonardo's work, paying special attention to the proportions, patterns, shapes, and symmetries that scientists and mathematicians have also identified in nature. He argues that while most artists inform their works with certain symmetries and regularities unconsciously, Leonardo often did so with conscious effort. Atalay looks closely at the famous mathematical expression known as the Fibonacci Series, a sequence of numbers whose relationships express what scientists and artists sometimes call the golden ratio or divine proportion, and its repeated expression in Leonardo's few but famous paintings, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper." "Following Leonardo's own unique and powerful model, Atalay searches for the internal dynamics of art and science, revealing to us the deep unity of the two cultures, their methods, modes of analysis, and forms of expression. He provides a broad overview of the development of science from the dawn of civilization and the invention of numbers to today's quantum mechanics. From that base of information Atalay succeeds in offering a new and fascinating view into Leonardo's restless intellect, extraordinary psyche, and modus operandi, allowing us to see the source of his ideas and to appreciate his art from a new perspective." "Math and the Mona Lisa is a celebration of the science of art and the art of science, to the timelessness and universality of Leonardo's work, and to the wonders of nature revealed through science and mathematics."--Jacket.
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