As part of Children’s Art Week, we’re celebrating art and maths in nature
The natural world is full of beauty; the colours, patterns and shapes of plants and flowers can be a huge inspiration for artists.
Vincent van Gogh saw the link between nature and art and used the views around him as inspiration for his paintings. For example, in his painting titled Sunflowers.
Did you know sunflowers are also an example of a pattern found in maths?
In maths there is a sequence of numbers called Fibonacci numbers which form a pattern to make a spiral. The sequence is often used in art to produce work and compositions that are pleasing to the eye. For example: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. 
This same sequence can also be found in nature. The seeds on a sunflower follow the Fibonacci sequence to produce repeating spirals.
Once we recognise the spiral we can identify other plants and fruits that follow the pattern.
Try our Fibonacci inspired arty maths activity!
Download the activity sheet and try some arty arty maths at home.
FIBONACCI INSPIRED ART ACTIVITY SHEET
Children’s Art Week is run by Engage, the National Association for Gallery Education and supported in 2020 by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and Arts Council of Wales and The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust.
Image credits
Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers – vangoghmuseum.nl/en
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa – thefibonaccisequence.weebly.com
Sunflower seeds – mathsisfun.com