They found that the trees depicted in the artworks, even when abstract or stylistic, mostly, but not always, corresponded to branching patterns and scale found in natural trees. “Any kind of ...

What makes a tree a tree? Or rather, why can we recognize trees in even quite abstract depictions when they are so varied in nature? Researchers have found a clue in the branches, and used math to ...

This hidden math in some abstract paintings may even underlie our ability to recognise such artwork as depictions of trees, according to the research, published in the journal PNAS Nexus.