LECTURE 8

Art and Mathematics:

Aesthetic Formalism

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
OBJECTIVES
a. Relate the study of art to the field of mathematics.
b. Identify artworks, styles, artists and philosophers
that abide with the formalist theory.
c. Interpret aesthetic formalism as a mathematical
theory of art and beauty
d. Show that music has a mathematical structure.
e. Formulate a mathematical approach to Art
Appreciation.
f. Evaluate the merit or demerit of works of art
based on the formalist theory.
g. Make works of art that shows the application of
formalist theory.
h. Apply formalist theory in analyzing classical
DR.arts.
ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
READINGS

8.1. Panofsky, Erwin (1955). “The History of the Theory of

Human Proportion as a Reflection of the History of
Styles,” in Meaning in the Visual Arts. Australia:
Penguin Books, 1955. pp. 117-134.

8.2. “Vitruvian Man,” in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Vitruvian_Man.

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

VIDEOS
8.1. “Donald Duck and the Golden Mean Ratio,” in
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query
=golden+ratio+donald+duck.

8.2. “Music and Math: The Genius of Beethoven-

Natalya St. Claire,” in https:// www.youtube.
com/watch?v=zAxT0mRGuoY

8.3. “How to Draw the Human Face,” in https://

www.you tube.com/watch? v=pE2-CGTtQzc.

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

LECTURES

8.1. Art and Beauty: Aesthetic Formalism

8.2. Harmony of Proportion: Mathematical

Theory of Art

8.3. Mathematics of Art: The Golden

Measure

8.4. Mathematical Structure of Music

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

 LECTURE 8.1
Aesthetic Formalism

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
 THOMAS
AQUINAS
1225-1274

AESTHETIC
FORMALISM

ARISTOTLE
384-322 BC
Raphael, The School of Athens, 1511
 Raphael,
The School
of Athens
(Detail)

Leonardo
as Plato

Michelangelo
as Aristotle
 Crevelli,
Thomas Aquinas
from Domidoff
Altarpiece
1476

TITLE
Doctor Angelicus

BOOK
Summa Theologica
Basis of Catholic
Doctrines
 THEORETICAL BASIS OF
AESTHETIC FORMALISM

HYLOMORPHISM
Ultimate Composition of All Things

FORM MATTER
substance accidents
(chairness) (blue, wooden)
ESSENCE SENSE DATA
HYLOMORPHISM

Prime
Matter + Substantial
Form

=
THING
THE FORM OF BEAUTY

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Order and Structure

SPECIFIC PRINCIPLES
Proportion and Integrity

INDIVIDUAL PRINCIPLE
Simplicity
 ORDER STRUCTURE
Whole divided into parts Parts composing the whole

Part Part Part

Whole 1 2 3

Part Part Part Whole

1 2 3
No order and no structure

UGLY
With order but no structure

UGLY
 Dali
Galatea of
the Spheres
1952

WITH ORDER BUT

NO STRUCTURE

Dali was
influenced by
the Molecular
Theory in
Chemistry.
Without order but with structure

UGLY
 Picasso
Bust of a
Woman
with a Hat
1939
With order and with structure

BEAUTIFUL
 Matisse
Portrait of
Madame
Matisse
1905
 PROPER PROPORTION
Relation of parts with one another

Proportional Disproportional
BEAUTIFUL UGLY
DISPROPORTIONAL PROPORTIONAL

Leonardo, Scaramuccia Picture of Tom Cruise

 OVERALL INTERGRITY
Relation of whole with itself

Integral Disintegral
BEAUTIFUL UGLY
DISINTEGRAL
 SIMPLICITY
Less number of parts
Less number of connection

A B
 SIMPLICITY
Less number of parts
Less number of connections

B C
 SIMPLICITY
Less number of parts
Less number of connections

C D E F
 GOD
Absolutely simple being
Bernini,
Pure spirit without any parts Ecstasy of
Essence identical with existence St. Therese
(Detail), 1452

ABSOLUTELY AND
PERFECTLY BEAUTIFUL
 LECTURE 8.2
Harmony of Proportion

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
 “Beauty is the harmony of proper proportion.”

1 2 3 4
Proportional Disproportional Proportional Disproportional
BEAUTIFUL UGLY BEAUTIFUL UGLY
Megan Young
Miss World
Philippines
2013

BEAUTIFUL FEMALE BODY

Vital Statistics: 36-24-36
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.
 36-24-36 36-24-36 36-24-36
5 feet 8 inches 7 feet 4 inches 4 feet 6 inches
PROPORTIONAL DISPROPORTIONAL DISPROPORTIONAL
BEUTIFUL UGLY UGLY
 Leonardo
Vitruvian Man
1490

A Study on the
Canons of Human
Proportion According
to Vitruvius
VITRUVIAN
MAN AND
HUMAN
NATURE
CIRCLE
SPIRITUAL
NAVEL AS
CENTER
OF CIRCLE
 ZEN PAINTING
Circle

The circle in
this painting
represents the
spiritual nature
of the world,
its infinite
and eternal
dimension
Kandinsky
Several Circles
1926

He believes that
his composition
expresses the
spiritual quality
of art
SQUARE
MATERIAL
GENITAL AS
CENTER OF
SQUARE
El Greco
Christ
Carrying
the Cross
1578

SQUARE HALO
It means that
Jesus is on earth,
the material world.
 Malevich
Red Square
1915

STYLE
Suprematism
CIRCLE

SQUARE
ARCH
 El Greco
The Burial of
Count Orgaz
1586

HEAVEN
Spiritual
World

EARTH
Material
World
 Minor Basilica
of St. Michael the
Archangel, Tayabas
Quezon, 1894

STYLE
Baroque
Architecture
Manila
Cathedral
Intramuros
Manila
1581

PRESENT
STRUCTURE
1958

ARCHITECT
Fernando Ocampo

STYLE
Romanesque
Architecture
Conversion of
St. Paul Parish
Church, Pitogo
Quezon, 1817

STYLE
Baroque
Architecture
 San Sebastian
Church, Quiapo
Manila, 1891

ARCHITECT
Genaro Palacios

STYLE
Gothic Architecture
TRIANGLE
MYSTICAL
ABDOMEN AS
CENTER OF
TRIANGLE
MYSTERY OF HOLY TRINITY
 TRESPICO
MEDALLION
The Infinito Dios
and the Tres
Personas

Amulet (Agimat)
from Quiapo,
MAnila
Great Pyramids of Giza, 2,500 BC, Egypt
PENTAGRAM
Five Sided Star
 SUPER
NATURAL
XIPHOID AS
CENTER OF
PENTAGRAM
Greek xiphos
means sword
LOGO OF SUPERMAN
The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, USA
MAN
Spiritual
Material
Mystical
Supernatural
 Arche
“MAN is the
measure of
all things.”

PROTAGORAS,
453-360, Crete
DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man was based on
the book by MARCUS VITRUVIUS entitled
De Architectura, 15 BC.
PERFECT PROPORTION
OF MAN ACCORDING
TO VITRUVIUS

• The length of the outspread arms is equal to the height of a man

• From the hairline to the bottom of the chin is one-tenth of the height of a man
• From below the chin to the top of the head is one-eighth of the height of a man
• From above the chest to the top of the head is one-sixth of the height of a man
• From above the chest to the hairline is one-seventh of the height of a man.
• The maximum width of the shoulders is a quarter of the height of a man.
• From the breasts to the top of the head is a quarter of the height of a man.
• The distance from the elbow to the tip of the hand is a quarter of man’s height
• The distance from the elbow to the armpit is one-eighth of the height of a man.
• The length of the hand is one-tenth of the height of a man.
• The root of the penis is at half the height of a man.
• The foot is one-seventh of the height of a man.
• From below the foot to below the knee is a quarter of the height of a man.
• From below the knee to the root of the penis is a quarter of man’s height
• The distances from below the chin to the nose and the eyebrows and the
hairline are equal to the ears and to one-third of the face.
NUMERICAL
PROPORTION
OF THE
VITRUVIAN
MAN
 NUMERICAL
PROPORTION
OF THE
VITRUVIAN
1 MAN
2
3
4

Height of 4 Fingers = 1 Palm

 NUMERICAL
PROPORTION
OF THE
1 VITRUVIAN
2 MAN

3
4

Height of the Head = 4 Palms

1 NUMERICAL
PROPORTION
2 OF THE
VITRUVIAN
3 MAN

4
Height of
the Man
5
=
8 head
6

8
 NUMERICAL
PROPORTION
OF THE
VITRUVIAN
MAN

Middle of
the Height
is at
Root of
the Penis
 NUMERICAL
PROPORTION
OF THE
VITRUVIAN
MAN

Width of
the Shoulder
=
Quarter of
the Height
 NUMERICAL
PROPORTION
OF THE
VITRUVIAN
MAN

Lenght of
the Foot
=
One Seventh
of the Height
Height of
the Man
=
Length of
Outspread
Arms
 1
NUMERICAL
2 PROPORTION
OF THE
3 VITRUVIAN
MAN
4

Height of the Head = Equally Divisible by Four

1

BEAUTIFUL
1

BEAUTIFUL
 1
Leonardo 2
Scaramuccia 3
1504

UGLY
 Leonardo
Grotesque 1
Face, 1504
2

UGLY
Leonardo
Profile of 1
a Man
1504 2

BEAUTIFUL
 Leonardo
Grotesque
1
Face, 1504

2
3

UGLY
Leonardo, Drawings of Grotesque Faces
Leonardo, Drawings
of Grotesque Faces
Leonardo, Drawings
of Beautiful Faces
 Ideal
Proportion
for Adult
Human
Male
 Brad Pitt
in the Film,
Troy, 2004

Achilles
Versus
Hector
 Leonardo
Vitruvian Man
1490
Cesari
Cesariano
Vitruvian
Man
1511
Agrippa, Vitruvian
Man, Illustrations in
the Philosophia
Occulta, 1533
Susan White,
Sex Change for
the Vitruvian
Man, 2005

VITRUVIAN
WOMAN
Mark Growling
The Simpson
1994

VITRUVIAN
CARTOON
EURO COIN
 Ancient Greek Vitruvius Leonardo
Classical Sculptures Proportion of Man Vitruvian Man
400 BC 100 AD 1500
 Kouros Ancient
Greek Sculpture
600 BC
 Praxiteles
Doryporus
(Spear Bearer)
440 BC

Ancient Greek
Sculpture
Praxiteles
Hermis
340 BC
 Myron
Discobolus
(Disk Thrower)
460 BC
 Venus
de Milo
150 BC
Michelangelo
David, 1501
 Tolentino
Oblation
UP Diliman
1939

Model was
Fernando
Poe Sr.
 Tolentino
Alma Mater
(Lualhati)
UE Manila
1957

Model was
Ofelia Salas
 LECTURE 8.3
The Golden Measure

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
 What is the
ultimate reality?
 ULTIMATE REALITY: NUMBER
Eternal, Unchanging, Indestructible

PYTHAGORAS
570-490 BC, Samos
 GOLDEN MEASURE
Golden Section
Golden Ratio/Proportion
Golden Rectangle
Golden Spiral
 GOLDEN SECTION. Division of a line so that the
whole is to the greater part as that part is to the smaller part.

a b
b c

c d

d e

GOLDEN RATIO. Geometric relation of two quantities in which

the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal.

a b c d 1.618
= = = =
b c d e 1
 GOLDEN RECTANGLE.
Rectangle whose side lengths are in the golden ratio.

f
e d

c
 GOLDEN SPIRAL
Spiral that traces the golden rectangle

f
e d

c
Golden Measure applied to the façade of Parthenon, 447 BC
 Golden
Measure
in Leonardo’s
Vitruvian Man
 Golden
Measure
in Leonardo’s
The Monalisa
 Golden
Measure
in Leonardo’s
St. John the
Baptist
Manet, Olympia, 1865 GOLDEN MEASURE
Hokusai, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, 1833 GOLDEN MEASURE
Mondrian, Composition with Gray and Light Brown, 1918 GOLDEN MEASURE
 Golden
Measure in
the design of
the logo
of Apple
Golden measure in the
design of the Tweeter logo
The Golden Measure in the Design of the Violin
The Golden Measure in the Head of US President Donald Trump
MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF ART AND BEAUTY

Pentagram and the Golden Ratio

Video 8.1.
 LECTURE 8.4
Mathematical Structure
of Music

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
AUDITORY
SENSE DATA of music as sound
ELEMENTS

RHYTHM LENGTH: Longness and shortness of tones

PITCH HEIGHT: Highness and lowness of tones

DYNAMICS VOLUME: Loudness and softness of tones

TEMPO SPEED: Fastness and slowness of tones

TONE: Sound of music

NOTE: Written tone
MATHEMATICS Indicated by the TIME SIGNATURE
OF RHYTHM and by the VALUE OF NOTES

TIME 4 Number of beat per measure

___
SIGNATURE
4 Kind of note that receives one beat

VALUE OF Whole 16th

NOTES RHYTHM
Half 32nd NOTATION
Quarter 64th AND
FRACTION
8th 128th
1 whole note in 4
___
1 measure
4 1

2 half notes in 1 4
___
measure
4 __
1 __
1
2 2

4 quarter notes in 4
___
1 measure
4 __
1 __
1 __
1 __
1 DR. ALLAN C. O
DR. ALLAN C
4 4 4 4
8 eighth notes in 4
___
1 measure
4 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

16 sixteenth notes 4
___
in 1 measure
4 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1
16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16
 The values
of notes are
4
___
always
equivalent 4 _1 _1 _1
to 1 for 4 4 2
every
measure
4
___
4 _1 _1 _1 _1
2 4 8 8

4
___
4 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1
4 4 8 8 4
 The values 4
___
of notes are
always 4 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1
equivalent 8 8 8 8 2
to 1 for
every
measure
4
___
4 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1
4 8 8 4 8 8

4
___
4 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1 _1
4 8 8 16 16 16 16 8 8
 KULINTANG:
MAGUINDANAO
RHYTMIC MUSIC

INSTRUMENTS
Kulintang
Agong
Babandir
Dabakan

PALABUNIBUNYAN
Group of Musicians who
play Kulintang Music
KULINTANG RHYTMIC MODES

BINALIG

1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1

4
___
4
4
___
4
SINULOG
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1

TIDTU
1> 1 1> 1 1> 1 1> 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

TAGUNGGO
1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
MATHEMATICS Indicated by the position
of the notes on the staff
OF PITCH

do re mi fa sol la ti do

UT queant laxis
The names of
REsonare fibris
notes were
MEra gestorum
based on the
FAmuli tuorum,
composition by
SOLve polluti
Guido de Arrizo
LAbii reatum,
(991-1033)
Sancte Iohannes.
 HARMONIC NOTES: CHORD C Major

C maj. do mi sol do

Distance 2 1.5 2.5

HARMONIC NOTES: CHORD D Major

D maj. re fa la re

Distance 2 1.5 2.5

 MUSIC
AND Video 8.2.
MATH
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN,
Piano Sonata in C# Minor (Moonlight Sonata)
CANON IN D MAJOR
Progression of Chord
D A Bm A
G F#m/D G A

JOHANN PACHEBEL
1653-1706
ACTIVITY AND
ASSESMENT

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
ACTIVITY AND ASSESMENT

a. Individual activity: Watch the Video 7.2.

“How to Draw the Human Face.”

b. Draw a human face based on the canons

of proportion shown in the video.

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

 RUBRICS FOR ACTIVITY 7
Needs
Excellent Good Fair
CRITERIA Improvement
(10-12 points) (7-9 points) (4-6 points)
(1-3)

The composition The canons of The composition The canons of

Application of applies all the human proportion applies the canons proportion are
the canons of canons of human are applied correctly, of human applied
human proportion except on some proportion incorrectly in the
proportion completely and parts of the incorrectly, in many whole
correctly composition. parts of it. composition

The composition
The composition Some instructions No instruction
Following the does not follow
follows all the are not followed in are followed in
instructions many of the
instructions. the composition the composition.
instructions.

The whole There are some Many parts of The whole

Aesthetic
composition is parts of the the composition composition is
value of the
very pleasing to composition that are are not pleasing not pleasing to
composition
look at. not pleasing to see. to see. look at.
DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE