Blueprints: How mathematics shapes creativity

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'WHAT TO READ IN 2025' FINANCIAL TIMES

Many artists are unaware of the mathematics that bubble beneath their craft, while some consciously use it for inspiration. Our instincts might tell us that these two subjects are incompatible forces with nothing in common, but what if were wrong

Marcus du Sautoy, acclaimed mathematician and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, looks to art, music, design and literature to uncover the key mathematical structures that underpin both human creativity and the natural world.

Blueprints takes us from the earliest stone circles to the modernist architecture of Le Corbusier, from Bachs circular compositions to Radioheads disruptive soundscapes, and from Shakespeares hidden numerical clues to the Dada artists who embraced randomness. Instead of polar opposites we find a complementary relationship that spans a vast historical and geographic landscape.

Whether we are searching for meaning in an abstract painting or deciphering poetry, there are blueprints everywhere: prime numbers, symmetry, fractals and the weirder worlds of Hamiltonian cycles and hyperbolic geometry. Nature similarly exploits these structures to achieve the wonders of our universe.

In this innovative and delightfully bold exploration of creativity, Marcus explains how we make art, why a creative mindset is vital for discovering new mathematics and how a fundamental connection to the natural world intrinsically links these two subjects.

Blueprints is an extraordinary book which shows us how mathematics and art are connected through structures. Du Sautoy shows us how to bridge the divide of science and the humanities and proves that we can only face and solve the big challenges of the twenty-first century if we go beyond the fear of pooling knowledge Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine Galleries

Reviews

Blueprints is an extraordinary book which shows us how mathematics and art are connected through structures. Du Sautoy shows us how to bridge the divide of science and the humanities and proves that we can only face and solve the big challenges of the twenty-first century if we go beyond the fear of pooling knowledge Hans Ulrich Obrist

PRAISE FOR MARCUS DU SAUTOY:

'Brilliantly clear and captivating prose' Stephen Fry

'He brings hugely enjoyable writing, full of zest and passion, to the most fundamental questions in the pursuit of true knowledge' Sunday Times

'A brilliant storyteller' Independent

'Du Sautoy is a contagious enthusiast, a populist with a staunch faith in the public's intelligence' Observer

Marcus makes it seem so easy, and such fun, to begin to understand that which appears complex, frightening and beautiful, and the magic of being human Philippe Sands

Author Bio

Marcus du Sautoy is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and a fellow of the Royal Society. In 2008 he was appointed to the universitys prestigious professorship as the Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science, a post previously held by Richard Dawkins. He has presented numerous radio and TV programmes, including a four-part landmark TV series for the BBC called The Story of Maths. He works extensively with a range of arts organisations bringing science alive for the public, from the Royal Opera House to the Glastonbury Festival and from Complicite theatre company to the Serpentine Gallery.