Description
Leonardo da Vinci was one of history's true geniuses, equally brilliant as an artist, scientist, and mathematician. Readers of The Da Vinci Code were given a glimpse of the mysterious connections between math, science, and Leonardo's art. Math and the Mona Lisa picks up where The Da Vinci Code left off, illuminating Leonardo's life and work to uncover connections that, until now, have been known only to scholars.
Bülent Atalay, a distinguished scientist and artist, examines the science and mathematics that underlie Leonardo's work, paying special attention to the proportions, patterns, shapes, and symmetries that scientists and mathematicians have also identified in nature. Following Leonardo's own unique model, Atalay searches for the internal dynamics of art and science, revealing to us the deep unity of the two cultures. He provides a broad overview of the development of science from the dawn of civilization to today's quantum mechanics. From this base of information, Atalay offers a fascinating view into Leonardo's restless intellect and modus operandi, allowing us to see the source of his ideas and to appreciate his art from a new perspective.
About the Author
Bülent Atalay is a Turkish-American educator, author, scientist, and artist.Born in Ankara, Turkey in 1940, Atalay is the author of the best selling book,Math and the Mona Lisa: the Art and Science of Leonardo da Vinci,initially published in English by Smithsonian Books in 2004, and subsequently in 13 foreign languages. A more recent book,Leonardo’s Universe: the Renaissance World of Leonardo da Vinci,coauthored with Keith Wamsley, was released by National Geographic Books in late 2008, and immediately listed among Encyclopædia Britannica Blog's "Ten Must-Have Reference Books from 2008." He is also a blog writer for National Geographic Newswatch.A theoretical nuclear physicist, he is the author of numerous technical articles in physics. He has been a professor of physics for four decades at the University of Mary Washington, an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia, and a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. He lectures around the world on his expertise in the "A-subjects" – art, archeology, astrophysics, atomic physics and Atatürk ... while claiming little knowledge in the "B-subjects" – business, banking, biology ... He is currently the President of the Atatürk Society of America, dedicated to the ideals of the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey, most importantly, the secular governance.An artist, his works have been exhibited in one-man shows in London and Washington D.C., and his books of lithographs – "Lands of Washington: Impressions Ink" and "Oxford and the English Countryside: Impressions of Ink" – were both published by Eton House in the 1970s, but are no longer in print. Copies of his books of lithographs can be found in the permanent collections of the White House, the Smithsonian Institution and Buckingham Palace.He frequently serves as a special topics lecturer on board ships of the Crystal Cruise Line and Seabourn Cruises.
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