The Art of Illustrating Mathematics

An editorial-essay co-authored with Henry Segerman arguing that illustration — defined broadly as communicating mathematical ideas through perception and experience — is both a research tool and an inherently artistic act. Drawing on Klee's notion that art makes visible what cannot otherwise be seen, the paper argues that any illustration intended to communicate deep mathematical intuition is artistic even without artistic intent. It closes by noting that illustration is widely enjoyed but systematically undervalued, and calls for spaces that celebrate it on its own terms.

2022-01-01

Authors: Edmund Harriss, Henry Segerman
Published in: Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, 2022
Links: DOI

BibTeX

@article{art-of-illustrating-mathematics,
  title   = {The Art of Illustrating Mathematics},
  author  = {Edmund Harriss and Henry Segerman},
  journal = {Journal of Mathematics and the Arts},
  year    = {2022},
  volume  = {16},
  number  = {1-2},
  pages   = {1--10},
  doi     = {10.1080/17513472.2022.2085977},
}