The Art of Stucco and Fractal Geometry灰泥与分形几何的艺术.docVIP

The Sky Within: Mathematical Aesthetics of Persian Dome Interiors Reza Sarhangi Department of Mathematics Southwestern College Winfield, KS 67156 sarhangi@ Abstract In the absence of metal beams, domes had been an essential part of the architecture of official and religious buildings around the world for several centuries. Domes were used to bring the brick structure of the building to conclusion. Based on their spherical constructions, they provided strength to the building foundations and also made the structure more resistant against snow and wind. Besides bringing a sense of strength and protection, the interior designs and decorations resemble sky, heaven, and what a person may expect to see beyond “seven skies.” Some contemporary religious buildings or memorials still incorporate domes, no longer out of necessity, but rather based on tradition or for esthetical purposes. Yet the quality of the interior decoration of these new domes is diminishing. The aim of this article is to study the spatial effects created by dome interior designs and to provide information about construction of such a design. Decorations in dome interiors demonstrate art forms such as stucco, tessellated work, ceramics, paintings, mirror work, and brick pattern construction, as well as combinations of these forms. 1. Introduction The decoration of dome interiors, in some cases similar to the decoration of pavement, windows, and walls, is closely related to geometrical properties of shapes, in both two- and three-dimensional space, known to artists several centuries ago. Based on existing domes, we cannot trace this art back beyond ten centuries, for there were many natural and social disasters that destroyed them. However, we may be reasonably certain of a much earlier existence of such sophisticated designs of dome interiors based on references in earlier literature as well as the level of geometry available in those times. Mathematics had its crude beginnings, perhaps fifty cent