A Small Fractal Art Project

This project was an art project I worked on in 1998 under the title "From the Figurative to the Abstract".
I chose two digital images: one of Leonard De Vinci which is the famous figure (shown on the left), and the other of a Fractal (shown on the right). Using a simple morphing tool I created three additional pictures which are the gradual morph of the two pictures.
At first glance it appears that the last picture, the fractal, is the abstract one and the human figure is the figurative one but from a mathematician's point of view it is easier to describe the fractal (using a recursive formula) than a human image so maybe it is the other way around?
Another way to look at it is that both pictures, the first and the last are figurative: the first being a very defined human figure with precise proportions and the other being a well defined mathematical geometric shape. Bare in mind that the original De Vinci sketch also used well defined geometric shapes to show the human proportions.
So maybe the real abstract one is the third picture which is the fusion of the two?

Fractals are shapes with infinite complexity that are made using a simple mathematical equation. This equation is usually recursive and that is why it has infinite complexity. As a result, most Fractals are in fact a simple geometric shape that is repeated over and over and can be recognized again and again at different magnification scales.
There is something that "looks" natural about Fractals to the human eye and that is no surprise since Fractal appear almost everywhere - in coast lines, galaxies and even the shapes found in organic life. That is why Fractals are sometimes referred to as "God's fingerprints".
Because of their unique nature - being complex (visually) yet simple (mathematically), Fractals have many graphic application such as rendering "natural looking" textures. Fractals also have some application in Chaos Theory.

For more about Fractals click here.

Fractal Art is, not very surprisingly, Art that uses Fractals. Usually the nature of the use of Fractals means that this art is computer generated and rendered.
As said before, Fractals have a natural feel to them and some of them are just pretty to look at so it is no surprise they are used to create art.
Also, the recurring appearance of Fractals in the natural world give them a profound meaning that also is used as a statement by some artists.