TED-Ed: The unexpected math behind Van Gogh's "Starry Night" - Natalya St. Clair

The video explores the concept of turbulence in fluid dynamics and its depiction in art, particularly in Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night.' It discusses how Van Gogh's use of luminance and brushstrokes captures the essence of turbulence, a concept that is mathematically complex and still not fully understood. The video also highlights Kolmogorov's contributions to the mathematical understanding of turbulence and how scientific studies have found patterns in Van Gogh's work that resemble turbulent fluid structures. The video concludes by reflecting on Van Gogh's unique ability to represent such a challenging concept through his art.

What is one of the hardest patterns to understand in fluid dynamics?

• Laminar flow

• Turbulent flow

• Vortex shedding

• Wave propagation

How do Impressionist artists like Van Gogh depict the motion of light?

• By using monochrome colors

• With quick, prominent brushstrokes

• By avoiding the use of luminance

• Through detailed and precise brushstrokes

What role does luminance play in Impressionist paintings?

• It enhances color contrast

• It sharpens the outlines of objects

• It creates a sense of depth

• It causes the blending of colors with the same intensity

What did Andrey Kolmogorov propose about energy in turbulent fluids?

• It remains constant regardless of scale

• It varies in proportion to the square of the length

• It varies in proportion to the 5/3rds power of the length

• It dissipates completely at smaller scales

What did scientists discover about Van Gogh's paintings during his period of psychotic agitation?

• They showed no signs of turbulence

• They had patterns similar to fluid turbulence

• They lacked any distinct pattern

• They were identical to Munch's 'The Scream'