SMRTR Science & EngineeringMay 14, 2026Scientific American

‘Golden rule’ in abstract art just discovered by mathematicians

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Mathematicians discovered that famous abstract artists — including Rothko, Kandinsky, and Pollock — all unconsciously follow the same mathematical ratio (0.4) when placing shapes near a canvas's edges, similar to the golden ratio. AI-generated art doesn't follow this rule, which may explain why it rarely inspires the same awe as human-made art.

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