The making of Growth I: Morphogenesis

In ancient times art and science had a close relationship with one another, and it was quite usual for artistic imagination to be deeply connected with, and to develop alongside, the natural scientific outlook of the age. Although specialization has long since resulted in a branching off of these two activities, the fundamental factors and considerations involved in the creation of art remain the same as those involving creation in the domain of nature: operations and manipulations of form, color, texture, and their related dynamic changes. Thus, as a first step in the process of artistic creation, one ought to fix one's eyes on the relevant object and clearly observe the wonder of cause and effect, the interplay of natural forces that result in the object's production. By first developing a deep appreciation and understanding of the common principles underlying many of the objects found in nature, one truly begins the endeavor of art. For example, we may ask, why does nature consistently make precise and beautiful variations of recurring themes in many of its forms? We cannot but admire and wonder at the marvel of common fundamental principles occurring in many of nature's changing compositions. There is some evidence of this outlook in the prehistoric visual images that can be found in the cave wall paintings and sculptures of the Stone Age, expressing the belief of the people of that time in such primitive religions as shamanism and animism. Life in the Stone Age must have been much more closely bound to nature than we can imagine. The ancient development of astronomy, geometry, and mathematics in general, including many important theories, were obviously stimulated by the necessities of natural life. Such architectural masterpieces of ancient times as the pyramids and Stonehenge were supported by and helped to stimulate the development of the fields of astronomy, general mathematics, and geometry.