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The seduction of curves : the lines of beauty that connect mathematics, art, and the nude
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The seduction of curves : the lines of beauty that connect mathematics, art, and the nude

by Allan McRobie, Helena Weightman

Illustrated in colour, this volume examines seven fundamental curves of catastrophe theory, including the cusp and swallowtail. The text analyses how these mathematical forms manifest in the natural world, fine art, and the physical structure of the universe.

Accession 12681 ISBN 9780691175331 Publisher Princeton University Press
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TAGS
Curated Derived
Art Beauty Connections Mathematics Painting Science
CONNECTIONS
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State
on_shelf
True
position_updated_at
2026-06-10 09:16
orientation
vertical
Details

Physical

binding_type
Hard Back
dimensions
259.00 (H) × 211.00 (W) × 18.00 (T) mm
spine_text
none captured

Metadata

Book form
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Identity

name→ title
The seduction of curves : the lines of beauty that connect mathematics, art, and the nude
vernon_id
19834
accession_no→ accession_number
12681
vernon_slug
the-seduction-of-curves-the-lines-of-beauty-that-connect-mathematics-art-and-the-nude-allan-mcrobie-photographs-by-helena-weightman

Drives Pulse state

curr_loc_status→ on_shelf
On Shelf
location_name
Zone W1 (Live bays)/Level 1/Phrontisterion/MONA
location_reason
On Shelf
isbn_issn→ isbn (when valid)
9780691175331

Descriptive

production_date
2017
object_type
Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication
object_status
Accessioned
brief_description
explores the language of curves that spans the human body, science, engineering, and artCurves are seductive. These smooth, organic lines and surfaces-like those of the human body-appeal to us in an instinctive, visceral way that straight lines or the perfect shapes of classical geometry never could. In this large-format book, lavishly illustrated in color throughout, Allan McRobie takes the reader on an alluring exploration of the beautiful curves that shape our world-from our bodies to Salvador Dali s paintings and the space-time fabric of the universe itself.The book focuses on seven curves-the fold, cusp, swallowtail, and butterfly, plus the hyperbolic, elliptical, and parabolic umbilics -and describes the surprising origins of their taxonomy in the catastrophe theory of mathematician Rene Thom. In an accessible discussion illustrated with many photographs of the human nude, McRobie introduces these curves and then describes their role in nature, science, engineering, architecture, art, and other areas. The reader learns how these curves play out in everything from the stability of oil rigs and the study of distant galaxies to rainbows, the patterns of light on pool floors, and even the shape of human genitals. The book also discusses the role of these curves in the work of such artists as David Hockney, Henry Moore, and Anish Kapoor, with particular attention given to the delicate sculptures of Naum Gabo and the final paintings of Dali, who said that Thom s theory bewitched all of my atoms. A unique introduction to the language of beautiful curves, this book may change the way you see the world.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
Allan McRobie, Helena Weightman
tags→ tags
Art, Arts, Science, Geometry, Mathematics, Mathematics in art, Nude in art, Human figure in art, Topology
subject_people
Salvador Dalí (b.1904, d.1989)
subject_objects
—

Cover image

vernon_cover_image_id→ cover_image
19905

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Topics and Themes