When Vincent Van Gogh created the famous painting The Starry Night while gazing out of his asylum window, he probably had no idea he would affect modern math and science as we know it.
On December 23, 1888 Van Gogh mutilated his ear. He then voluntarily admitted himself to the Saint-Paul de Mausolée asylum in Southern France. During his stay, he created one of his most recognized and lauded works.
The Starry Night depicts the view from Van Gogh's east-facing window at the asylum. It also depicts an important scientific occurrence called "turbulence."
Turbulence is difficult for even the most qualified scientists and mathematicians to explain, but it is almost perfectly illustrated in The Starry Night.
The term refers to a concept in fluid dynamics where energy cascades. During turbulence, big eddies (eddies are the swirling of a dynamic fluid) create smaller ones, and those eddies create even smaller ones and the process continues repeatedly.
The swirling wind strokes in The Starry Night illustrate turbulence quite well, making it easier for modern scientists to visualize and understand the complicated concept.
How did Van Gogh see this scientific phenomenon without knowing it existed? We have to guess it was his skillfully observant artistic eye.
To learn more about this amazing coincidence, check out the video below.
