Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Mathematics In The Mind's Eye: Michael Schultheis Paints Poetic And Conceptual Geometries, Patricia Grieve Watkinson

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Michael Schultheis is an established artist and a formally-educated mathematician. In his practice the two disciplines are inextricably linked. His large-scale lyrical paintings at first glance seem to focus on the effects of light and atmospheres, representing cloudscapes or waterscapes in resonant color. Yet moving through these mists are decidedly mathematical references --- drawn geometric shapes and hand-written equations. These are employed by Schultheis to represent the physical world or to express feelings (or both). For example, he may examine the structure of a pine cone or reflect on human relationships or do both at the same time. The resulting …