Mathematics meets Art in thought-provoking ‘Blueprints’ book

From stone circles to Mozart’s obsession with numbers and Zaha Hadid’s architecture influenced by mathematical logic and geometry, a new book by Marcus Du Sautoy explores the unexpected yet fascinating connection between mathematics and the arts.

"Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity", written by professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford Marcus Du Sautoy and published by HarperCollins, is scheduled to hit the stands on May 16.

It reveals how mathematical structures underpin artistic creativity across time and cultures, and makes an argument that the "logic of mathematics and the emotional world of art are not opposites, but deeply intertwined".

"Many of the artists that we encounter are completely unaware of the mathematics that bubble beneath their craft, while some consciously use it for inspiration. Our instincts might tell us that these two subjects are incompatible forces with nothing in common.

"Blueprints asks us to consider that mathematics and art may not be polar opposites after all. Their complementary relationship spans a vast historical and geographic landscape, from the earliest stone circles to Mozart’s obsession with numbers and the radically modern architecture of Zaha Hadid," the publisher said in a statement.

Whether we are searching for meaning in an abstract painting or finding patterns in poetry, the book claims there are blueprints everywhere: "symmetry, prime numbers, the golden ratio and more".

The book, touted to be a bold and philosophical exploration of human creativity, aims to unpack "how we make art, why a creative mindset is vital for discovering new mathematics, and how a fundamental connection to the natural world intrinsically links these two subjects".