Shadows of Reality: The Fourth Dimension in Relativity, Cubism, and Modern Thought

by Tony Robbin

A pioneering artist continues his visionary inquiry into hyperspace

In this insightful book, which is a revisionist math history as well as a revisionist art history, Tony Robbin, well known for his innovative computer visualizations of hyperspace, investigates different models of the fourth dimension and how these are applied in art and physics. Robbin explores the distinction between the slicing, or Flatland, model and the projection,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300110391
• ISBN13: 9780300110395
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.7" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

Adds a new dimension

Shadows of Reality discusses the 4th dimension in math and art. Robbin is very thorough both in his analysis and his historical explorations. I enjoyed the book a great deal.

A wonderful introduction to the projective approach in math and art

An innovative thinker and a gifted artist, Tony Robbin filters the world of mathematics through the nuances of human vision, creating masterful representations of higher dimensions. His new book stands as a testament to his meticulous scholarship of the history of projective geometry, in mathematics, physics and art. It is a thoroughly enjoyable account of how the notion of finding shadows of the fourth dimension emerged in the 19th century, permeated modern art in the 20th, and now represents one of the frontiers of computer graphics in the 21st. Along the way, Robbin shows how projective geometry could provide the key to a quantum description of gravity. A must read, for the curious anecdotes, cutting-edge science, impressive array of references, colorful art, and insight into how we can perceive the seemingly imperceptible.