Math Concept Reader

Geometry in Art

Math Concept Reader

Geometry in Art
by Matt Doeden
Copyright by Gareth Stevens, Inc. All rights reserved. Developed for Harcourt, Inc., by Gareth Stevens, Inc. This edition published by Harcourt, Inc., by agreement with Gareth Stevens, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Permissions Department, Gareth Stevens, Inc., 1 Readers Digest Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570. HARCOURT and the Harcourt Logo are trademarks of Harcourt, Inc., registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions. Printed in the United States of America ISBN 13: 978-0-15-360499-7 ISBN 10: 0-15-360499-9 If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited and is illegal. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 175 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07

Chapter 1:

Geometry All Around

Every day at lunch in the school cafeteria, Luis looks at cartoon books and books of Japanese drawings, called manga. Manga is a style of Japanese illustration that is often rich in action. One day, Luiss math teacher, Mr. Perez, notices Luiss manga book. This is great, Luis, he says. Look at how the artist used plane gures to create this scene. This would be a great example of geometric gures to show during our math lesson this afternoon. After lunch, Mr. Perez begins the days math lesson. He tells the students about how plane gures appear in the real world. He shows the class a photograph of a tall building. He explains how each side of the building is shaped like a rectangle. Then he invites Luis to show the class his manga book. Art is a great place to explore geometry in the real world, Mr. Perez explains. So, I have a class project for us to work on together. Were going to assemble an art gallery that shows geometry in the real world.
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Painterly Architectonics shows how Lyubov Popova used plane figures in her art.

The class walks to the schools media center. There, Mr. Perez tells his students to search in art books, magazines, and on the Internet for examples of geometry in art. Simon and Maria head to a computer workstation. They log onto the Internet and begin their search. They discover the work of a Russian artist named Lyubov Popova. Born in 1889, Popova discovered a love of art when she was young. She started taking art lessons when she was 11 years old. She spent the early 1900s traveling throughout Europe painting, studying, and teaching art. Her work seems perfect for the classs project. Simon decides that his favorite Popova painting is Painterly Architectonics. The painting includes many colorful triangles, quadrilaterals, and other plane figures.

Simon calls Mr. Perez over to see the image on the computer screen. Good work, you two, Mr. Perez says. Each of you should print a copy of a painting that shows an artists use of geometry. Be sure the copyright information for the image appears on the printout. With the help of the schools media specialist, Simon prints a copy of the painting for the classs art gallery. He even prints a second copy to tape to the inside of his math notebook. Maria, meanwhile, has discovered the work of an Italian-born artist named Peter Hugo McClure. His piece, 3x36 Permutations, is a patchwork of triangles and quadrilaterals. Maria is amazed at how plane figures can be combined to create such beautiful patterns. She is sure the painting is a perfect example of geometry in art.

Peter Hugo McClure combines triangles and quadrilaterals in 3x36 Permutations.

Theo van Doesburg painted Contra-Composition of Dissonances, XVI in 1925.

Chen looks through a stack of art books. When he opens a book about abstract art, Chen finds all kinds of paintings with plane figures. As he flips through the pages, Chen decides that he likes an abstract artist named Theo van Doesburg. Like many abstract artists, the Dutch-born van Doesburg focused on geometry and colors, not natural forms. Chen likes how van Doesburg used diagonal lines and line segments to create a series of rectangles. Chen decides that his favorite van Doesburg painting is Contra-Composition of Dissonances, XVI. The lines and colors show how plane figures can come together to make interesting art. Chen makes a photocopy of Contra-Composition of Dissonances, XVI. Chen notes the name of the book, its author, and its copyright information in his math journal.


Eva is looking at a book about classic artists. One of the artists featured in the book is Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci was born in Italy in 1452. He was a scientist, mathematician, musician, and writer. He also was interested in many other areas of study. He painted, drew, created sculptures, and even designed buildings. Eva finds an illustration that would be perfect for the class project. Da Vincis Rhombicuboctahedron is a drawing of a complex, three-dimensional form that is made up of a series of squares and equilateral triangles. These simple plane figures come together to create an intricate, three-dimensional object. Look at this drawing, Eva tells Mr. Perez as he passes by. What an interesting image, Eva, Mr. Perez says. Leonardo da Vinci is one of historys greatest artists. Our art gallery would not be complete without one of his works.

Leonardo da Vincis Rhombicuboctahedron is one example of how he used geometry in his work.

Chapter 2:

Geometry in other forms of art

Mr. Perez gathers the class together to show the students all of the images they have collected. Were off to a great start. We already have a group of paintings that shows geometry in the real world. Do we have to nd just paintings and drawings? Luis asks. Or are there other kinds of art that use geometry? Good question, Luis, says Mr. Perez. Drawings and paintings are just one form of art. Were making an art gallery, not a painting gallery. What other types of art might use geometry? As the students return to their search, they talk among themselves. They wonder what other types of art might t into their gallery. Luis has an idea. He heads off to a different section of the media center.

The Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt have stood for more than 5,000 years.

Luis walks to the media centers history section. There, he finds a book about ancient Egypt. The books cover shows a photo of the Great Pyramids of Giza. Luis thinks that the pyramids are a good example of geometry in the real world. Luis reads that the Egyptians built the huge pyramids 5,000 years ago. Each pyramid has four equilateral triangular faces and a square base. Luis is amazed that a geometric solid could seem so beautiful and mysterious. The Great Pyramids have stood for more than 50 centuries. They have endured wind, sandstorms, earthquakes, and pollution. What have you found, Luis? Mr. Perez asks. It is a picture of the Great Pyramids of Giza, Luis answers. The pyramids are a perfect example of geometry in the real world, but some people may not think they are art. I think we agree that they are art, Mr. Perez says. The Great Pyramids are an example of architecture. That is another form of art. Lets add an image of the pyramids to our gallery.


Luis shows Lisa his picture of the Great Pyramids. Lisa decides to find another piece of architecture for the gallery. She begins to search the Internet. Soon, she comes across plane figures that are used in geodesic spheres and geodesic domes. A geodesic sphere is made up of many connected triangles. A dome has the same structure, but is made from half of a sphere. Lisa learns that in the 1950s, a famous American architect named Richard Buckminster Fuller helped to develop the geodesic dome. He wanted to build structures that were very light, but also very strong. Geodesic spheres and domes were one answer. They are now common features in many buildings around the world. Lisa prints a picture of her favorite geodesic sphere, the Montreal Biosphre. This 200-foot-tall structure was built for the 1967 World Exposition in Montreal, Canada. The sphere was renovated in the 1990s. It now contains a museum dedicated to water and the environment.
The Montreal Biosphre in Canada is a geodesic sphere that stands 200 feet tall.

Some artists use computers to create complex fractal art.

Joseph and Tyrone use the Internet to discover a new kind of art called fractals. They learn that a fractal has an endlessly repeating pattern. The pattern contains shapes that are like the whole, but of different sizes throughout. A snowflake is an example of a fractal that appears in nature. Many artists use computers to create stunning artwork using fractals. Special computer software helps them use mathematical formulas to create works of art. Artists learn, however, that they can make a fractal called a Sierpinski triangle with nothing but a pencil and paper. The Sierpinski triangle is just a series of triangles that get smaller and smaller. The triangles could go on into infinity. The students print out a piece of fractal art. They wonder if any of their classmates have found fractals.
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Other students are learning that geometry is also important in sculpture. Kim finds a Web site about a park in Los Angeles called Pershing Square. The park is filled with sculptures and surrounded by beautiful architecture. One of the parks features is especially interesting. The park has a bell tower called a campanile. This campanile rises to a height of 120 feet. The main part of the tower includes a triangular prism and a rectangular prism. Large stone spheres are set onto platforms all around the campanile. A famous Mexican architect named Ricardo Legorreta designed Pershing Square. Legorretas use of bright colors throughout the park is a tribute to his Mexican heritage. An image of Pershing Square would be perfect for the art gallery, Kim tells Luis, showing him the photograph. Thats great, Luis answers. There is so much geometry in art!
Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta designed Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, California.

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Chapter 3:

Making A gallery
Soon, the bell rings. The students gather materials. They follow Mr. Perez back to class. We saw many examples of geometry in art today, Mr. Perez tells the students as he collects the printouts. You found so many types of art. We need to remember that art is protected by copyright, though. Im glad you have included references to where you found your images. Good work. The students watch as Mr. Perez pins the printouts to the board. Next, they take turns explaining how geometry is important in each piece. Joseph tells the class how artists use complex formulas to create fractal art. Luis talks about how even the ancient Egyptians used geometry in their art and architecture. Chen explains how abstract artists focus on plane gures and other features, rather than natural objects, in their images. As different as each of these examples is, each of them uses geometry, Mr. Perez says.

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The next day, the students are still talking about geometry in art. Chen tells the class that he saw a story about the Pentagon on television last night. The Pentagon, located in Arlington, Virginia, is the headquarters of the United States military. The Pentagon got its name because the building is the same shape as a regular pentagon. Mr. Perez tells his class that they will create their own works of art in class today. They will use pencils, markers, paper, clay, and whatever else they can find in the classroom. When the students are done, their art will be part of the classroom art gallery. Within minutes, the students have spread out across the room. They are designing different forms of art. In one corner, students are making a sculpture of solid figures made from clay. Meanwhile, Kim is building a metal sculpture out of a series of bent paperclips. It includes rectangles, triangles, and line segments.
The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, is the headquarters of the United States military.

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This is one example of a Sierpinski triangle.

Chen uses markers and a ruler to make an abstract drawing. He draws a series of lines to make a pattern of boxes. He colors in some of the boxes in blue, red, and yellow, just as Theo van Doesburg did in ContraComposition of Dissonances, XVI. Joseph and Tyrone quickly get to work drawing their own fractal. They find a large sheet of paper and use rulers, protractors, and pencils to measure and draw an image that is like the Sierpinski triangle. As they draw, they discover that all of the triangles in their image are similar. That means that each triangle has the same shape as every other triangle in the drawing, but not necessarily the same size. They measure each side of every triangle. They color in some of the triangles with colored pencils. Other students are busy with pencil drawings. Lisa is working on a design for a building that uses all sorts of plane figures. Luis, meanwhile, is drawing a picture in the style of Japanese manga.
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Even Mr. Perez joins in on the fun. He draws an abstract picture that shows different colored plane shapes and figures. He tells the students that his drawing is in the style of the painting Composition, 1927, by American artist Patrick Henry Bruce. The students have created dozens of works of art by the end of class. They have included squares, parallelograms, triangles, circles, and other plane and solid figures in their artwork. It looks like our geometry book exploded in here! says Luis. Making this art gallery helped me see the different ways geometry appears around us. Its a fun way to learn about math. Smiling, Mr. Perez stands up. Geometry is not just something on the pages of your school books, he says. Geometry is everywhere you look.
Composition, 1927 by Patrick Henry Bruce is an example of abstract art that uses plane and solid figures.

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Glossary
abstract art an art form in which artists focus on color and form rather than on objects found in the natural world architecture the style in which buildings are designed campanile a bell tower that stands unattached from another building copyright the right to publish or sell an image, book, song, or other unique work fractal a figure with repeating patterns containing shapes that are like the whole, but of different sizes throughout geodesic dome half of a sphere made up of smaller, connected plane figures manga a style of Japanese illustration that is often rich in action permutation a selection of different items in which the order is important sculpture a work of art shaped out of stone, clay, wood, metal, or some other material Sierpinski triangle a type of fractal that features a series of triangles that get smaller and smaller into infinity
Picture credits: cover Walter, Bieri/epa/Corbis; p. 3 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia/The Bridgeman Art Library; p. 4 Private Collection/The Bridgeman Art Library; p. 5 Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Netherlands/The Bridgeman Art Library; p. 6 Wikipedia; p. 8 Kazuyoshi Nomachi/Corbis; p. 9 Winston Fraser/Alamy; p. 10 Fractal Art by Ken Keller, www.fractalartgallery.com; p. 11 Robert Landau/CORBIS; p. 13 CORBIS; p. 14 Wacaw Sierpiski/Nol Aders/GNU Free Documentation License/Wikipedia; p. 15 Private Collection, Giraudon/The Bridgeman Art Library.

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think and respond

1. Look at Popovas Painterly Architectonics on page 3 and McClures 3x36 Permutations on page 4. Name two geometric gures that appear in both works. 2. Look at the image of the Great Pyramids of Giza on page 8. Describe the features of this solid gure. Name the number of faces, edges, and vertices for this solid gure. 3. Look at the Sierpinski triangle on page 14. Suppose you could magnify just one of the triangles inside the larger triangle. How would one of the smaller triangles compare to one of the larger triangles in the image?

4. Create your own work of art that uses geometric gures. Explain which geometric gures you included in your image.

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