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Discussion is an exchange of knowledge 
;
argument an exchange of ignorance 
Robert Quillen
After reading the article, exploring the gallery of Mr. Mullins, reading his ‘about’ page, and thinking about mathematical equations, I began to realize that math really could be part of the art world.
Mathematical equations are pieces of logic and imagination stemming from the human mind. People have put their lives into studying the areas of math and/or science and they created these functions to explain how certain things work mathematically and to create a template to work with in the future. We use these functions throughout life (especially the basics for those of us who aren’t namely in the sciences for a profession), whether we are in or out of school. Yet aren’t templates used in art as well? They are the designs used to be either recreated or to create other designs. There are ways for forming the variables within the equations, lines to draw, meanings to express with only a few pencil strokes, and a story to tell behind each number, letter and symbol.
Justin Mullins, in his ‘about’ page on his website, stated, “On the one hand, I want my pictures to be judged in their own right and for people to come to their own conclusions about their value. It cannot be right for me to tell people what to feel about a picture. But on the other hand, I recognize that mathematics is an alien world, in which many people rapidly become lost. The text is intended as signposts to help people on their way.”
With the first sentence I imagined myself in an art gallery; looking at all the pictures and deciding for myself what value they held for me. This led me to question where I was taught the ‘boundaries’ of art, that is, if there are any. If you think about it, almost everything can be considered art; from the style of your shoes, to the pages of your school textbooks, and much more. Even things such as garbage, glass and empty pop cans can be considered art. So why can’t math be? I wouldn’t be surprised if many people took a look at Mullins’ art and thought that it wasn’t anything special, just boring math equations. But I think this is mainly because we aren’t usually taught that such things can be viewed as art. We see paintings, statues, and colors when we think of art. And yet, aren’t books and works of literature considered art? They have letters and numbers just like these mathematical equations!
Art helps us look at the world in ways we wouldn’t have normally looked at it. Mullins calls mathematics ‘an alien world, in which many people rapidly become lost’. If this isn’t a statement that can be applied to art, I don’t know what is. Many people don’t understand some pieces of art, and other people just get lost in the beauty of it. With mathematics, many people can get lost and confused with the large amount of numbers and formulas accompanying it, yet some can have quite the opposite reaction to it. Just take math professors and scientists. Some way or another, mathematics fits into their world and they have a passion for it.
Although I was disappointed that I needed the ‘signposts’ to help me on my way to understanding the paintings, it was interesting to see how recognizable the equations were to themes in life. The ones that struck me the most were ‘Surrealism’, ‘Music’ and ‘Family’.
‘Surrealism’ did remind me of a dream—consisting of things we normally don’t see in ‘this life’. Since we were children we learned that 1 + 1 did not equal 3, yet this picture depicts the exact opposite. I couldn’t help but think of the Dali painting ‘Geopoliticus Child’, where I see something that looks slightly familiar paired with something that is somewhat off or questionable. After looking at ‘Music’, I started seeing the similarities between the equation and sheet music. The symbol after the equal sign reminds me a lot of the sign for forte and the overall composition just produces a piece of music before my eyes. ‘Family’ is just a huge equation, which could represent a huge family. The same variables were used throughout the equation, possibly hinting at some familial connection and repeated history.
Circles, squares and other shapes are also seen in both works of arts (abstract paintings) and in mathematics. Our society has already been influenced by that connection, so who says they can’t be equally influenced by Mullins’ framed equations?
School Trinity HS
Oh, only some people in certain places, I mean, mainly in the world.
Anything can be beautiful or ugly. It is a matter of perspective. Try looking at the mona lisa upside down!
Whether or not something is beautiful or not, however, has nothing to do with whether or not it is art. An art is simply something that is abstract and done for its own sake, with no practical application.
The term is often misused.
School Ardingly College
nah never.......MATH IS FOR UM I REALLY DONT KNO
1+1= 3 who cares what the answer is....How is math a beauty??????
