ARTIST AND MATH

MATH AND ART

Some artists think about and use MATH when making art, especially when they plan their composition.  Composition is a fancy art way of saying where an artist arranges and places objects and elements in their art.  Let's look at how artists use Symmetry, Parallel Lines and Perpendicular Lines in art.

Symmetry in Math

That imaginary line that seems to divide a symmetrical shape in half is called a LINE OF SYMMETRY.  Picture it as the line where the shape could be folded in half.  Why does the triangle have more than one?

Symmetry in Nature

Symmetry can be found in nature.  From flowers and seashells to bodies of animals.

Radial Symmetry

SYMMETRY around an axis.  Think of a bike wheel or a starfish.

 

Rose Stained Glass Window

Symmetry in Art

Symmetry in art can create balance and harmony and make the art visual nice to look at.  

Heather Hanson is both artist and dancer.  She combines both to create symmetrical artworks.  Her kinetic drawings are part dance, part performance art using her body as a drawing tool and ending up as large scale pieces in charcoal or pastels.  

Do you notice SYMMETRY in her art?

Let's look at a few other works of art that use symmetrical compositions.  

Pantheon in the Acropolis.

Aztec mosaic ornament

Parallel Lines

PARALLEL LINES are lines that never intersect (cross) or touch and stay the same distance apart  (equidistant).

Op artist Bridget Riley filled her art with lines.  Here are some ways she used PARALLEL LINES.

Perpendicular Lines: 

Lines that intersect or cross at a 90 degree angles.  A square has four, 90 degree angles. 

Let's look at some perpendicular lines in art.  

Piet Mondrian's Geometric art is a great place to view PERPENDICULAR LINES.  The black lines criss cross at 90 degree angles.

Here are a few more examples of PERPENDICULAR LINES!

Is it symmetrical?  

Raise your hand when you see PARALLEL LINES.  Can you find PERPENDICULAR LINES?

This is the same artist, Sol Lewitt.  Are These lines Parallel?  or Perpendicular?

Magnificent Metal

As we know, artists use lots of different mediums.  Do you remember what an artistic medium is?

Some artists use metal to build and sculpt and others  use metal to show off their drawing skills!  Let's find out how that is even possible.

Metal embossing and Repousse push and move the metal using tools to imprint marks and designs  onto the surface. (what's the surface?)  Embossing presses lines and patterns into the front side of the metal. While Repousse pushes the metal from the back raising up the design.  The metal can also be worked between the created lines to raise areas of the metal.  

Artists around the world work with metal and metal tooling is created most often in tin, copper and aluminum.  In Mexico there is a folk art tradition of making tin ornaments.

Repujado which is the metal tooling art. Hojalata means tin artwork in Spanish.  The metal is malleable which makes it easy to create details in the surface.  What does malleable mean?

Mexican Folk Artisans shape, stamp, punch cut and paint metal into decorative and sometimes functional art.  It's popular and inexpensive and the shiny surface is part of the quality.

You may choose to make a metal embossed ornament and if you don't we will still add the process to our creativity bank account.

Place a piece of cardboard on your table. The metal needs a soft surface to press into.

You can sketch a design in pencil onto the metal or start drawing with a stylus.  

Patterns with short lines will be easier to draw into the metal. If you are making longer or curved lines slow down the metal is slick and the stylus can slip and wobble. (turn mistakes into a beautiful oops)

Draw with a wooden stylus.  Go over the pencil lines while firmly pressing into the metal surface. 

Draw on the front.  More lines  will create more visual interest.  Press lines into the front, press lines into the back and repeat back and forth from front to back.

Embellish with colorful sharpies, beads and ribbon