Fractal Analysis of a Sequence of LSD-Influenced Self-Portraits
Debanuj Chatterjee

Proceedings of Bridges 2019: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Education, Culture
Pages 481–484
Short Papers

Abstract

A sequence of recently published self-portraits made over the course of 10 hours by an anonymous artist under the influence of LSD was analyzed using a box-counting technique for changes in any fractal dimension over time. The computed dimension increased, plateaued, and then quickly decreased, in synchrony with the level of hallucinatory imagery in the drawings. The errors in calculating the dimension was found to be lower for the images that were drawn while the artist was tripping; which suggest that the images attained more fractality under the influence of LSD. Since fractal dimension has often been linked to aesthetics of imagery, I also envisaged the potential of LSD to impact the aesthetic value of an artist’s work.

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