A Fibonnaci Fugue
A MONA Moment |
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The Grove Dictionary of Music defines counterpoint as the art of combining two simultaneous musical lines. As each line is introduced, a world of contrasting variations is possible. The first line sets a melodic or rhythmic theme. The second line could be, for instance, set in the same rhythm as the first line, but in an entirely different sequence of notes. The next part could have two notes against every one note of the original line, the next line three notes against one and so on. This intensely intellectual form of composition reached a peak in sophistication and richness in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.
We find a visual equivalent in the work of artist Larry Schulte, a native of Kearney, Nebraska. Trained as a mathematician, Schulte began his career teaching high school mathematics. Later, he returned to college attaining a masters degree in Art Education, and a Ph.D. in education specializing in statistics.
Subsequently he has pursued a successful career as a visual mathematician--his own term. He writes, "I consider myself to be a visual mathematician, my work is about mathematical structure. It is based on creating visual order. I have tried to invent ways to interpret mathematical concepts visually."
His work is often based on a mathematical sequence formulated by a 15th Century mathematician. Fibonacci's Sequence is a numerical progression frequently found in nature: each number in the sequence is the sum of the two which precede it. How does Schulte graft this mathematical sequence into art: by counterpoint--a visual counterpoint created by weaving on the surface of his paintings. The paint is cut into strips, and the strips are woven together.
In his piece, After the Quilt--in the collection of the Museum of Nebraska Art--a vertical series of painted, paper strips--a singular painting in its own right--counterpoints another image, arrayed in horizontal strips. These two paintings on the same plane combine into a visual fugue. The individual woven strips add the third dimension, and provide a lively rhythm to the surface, set to the beat of the Fibonnaci formula. The effect creates a pleasing sense of order and clarity within the endless pattern variations.
The woven strips create surprising juxtapositions of blues variegating into browns: a color relationship not very promising, but in the context of the Fibonacci visual counterpoint, strangely logical and ephemerally beautiful, a dark rich field, perfect for the background of the orange rectangle dominating the center of the painting.
The rectangle surrounds an orange red circle pulsating with rectangular blips of blue coursing horizontally over its surface. Floating, the rectangle hovers over the brown/blue field with the spiritual radiance of a Mark Rothko painting. The serene perfection of the circle and cube surround the playful buzz of activity of the Fibonnaci patterns within. Then a surprise: a brazen line of yellow snaps across the surface of the circle like a meteor. The final coda to the Fibonnaci dance below.
