Abstract
The Seduction of Curves: The Lines of Beauty That Connect Mathematics, Art and the Nude, published by
Princeton University Press in 2017, points out the surprisingly rich set of connections that exist between stability
theory and life drawing. The links are made via the mathematics of catastrophe theory developed in the 1970’s by
the French mathematician and Fields Medallist René Thom. Catastrophe theory provides a natural language for
the description of curved shape, and yet it is not widely known. Given the prevalence of curved forms throughout
science and art, the book shows how knowledge of this language can enrich the appreciation of existing artworks,
from the Renaissance works of Michelangelo through to the modernism of David Hockney, Henry Moore and
Anish Kapoor. There is particular focus on the works of Naum Gabo and the later works of Salvador Dali. It is
also shown how the increased awareness and understanding of curved form can lead to new insights into the
processes of perception and even of aesthetics, and can open new avenues for artistic exploration and creativity,
as evidenced by Allan’s sculpture, The Swallowtail Pavilion in Jo Thompson’s gold-medal winning Wedgwood
Garden at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show.
