Science of expressionist painting

On May 10, an art and science perspective on Fractal Expressionism will be presented at Pine Meadow Village Clubhouse by world-renowned Professor Richard Taylor. The event is presented by the University of Oregon Alumni Association and Duck Sisters.

Professor Taylor will share how science finally explained the meaning of Jackson Pollock's "infamous swirls of paint" through computer analysis of the patterns. Science found that the paintings are fractal, reoccurring patterns over finer and finer magnifications, building up shapes "of immense complexity."

Patterns in nature are often fractal, such as in lightning, clouds, mountains and trees. These fractal patterns are described as "the fingerprints of nature." For Professor Taylor, this meant that Pollock "distilled the very essence of natural scenery and expressed it on canvas with an unmatched directness."

In the lecture, Taylor will share the implications of fractal expressionism in art, science, nature and human behavior. He will also explain how viewing Pollock paintings can reduce the observer's physiological stress levels by as much as 60 percent.

Taylor is determined to bring collaboration of arts and sciences as director of the Materials Science Institute and professor of physics, psychology and art at the University of Oregon.

For this Sisters lecture, Professor Taylor will use Jackson Pollock paintings as the model to help a viewer understand how we view patterns. In his research, he and his students have found that over the years of producing art, Pollock increased complexity deliberately "to reduce the imagery seen in his earlier work."

Taylor's interest in Jackson Pollock paintings began in his youth and has remained a lifelong interest.

"I use my interests in fractals to encourage collaboration between the arts and sciences and to promote awareness of science," Taylor says.

He has been featured in several documentaries and the major scientific publications, including Scientific American, and The New York Times and London Times. He has spoken to the Nobel Foundation and the Guggenheim Museum, representations of his eclectic diversity in combining art and science.

"Bioinspiration is my main focus," says the professor, exploring the favorable properties that make fractals so prevalent in nature and applying them to artificial systems.

This lecture is open to the public with limited seating. To register, visit uoalumni.com/fractalexpressionism. There is no charge for the event, which will open at 11:30 a.m. for the noon presentation.