Events & Activities

Math in Art

Grades: 5-8
Length of tour: 1 hour

Tour Description

For many students, art and its creation appears remote from the rules found in the study of math. This exploration suggests to students that math can be used creatively to communicate, and that math informs virtually every aspect of our lives. The tour also accommodates visual learners, who may better understand abstract concepts when presented in visual form.

Goals

  • To identify mathematical concepts in works of art
  • To gain an increased understanding of mathematical concepts and principles by seeing how artists apply them to the creation and composition of works of art
  • To trace the development and historical background of the uses of perspective in art.

Rationale

Do math and art add up? They may seem like odd partners, but in reality, artists have been using mathematical concepts since ancient times. This tour explores the connection between art and math. From religious paintings to abstract sculptures, math solves compositional problems.

Topics

  • Concepts and use of line, shape, form, pattern, symmetry/asymmetry, proportion, scale
  • Mathematical concepts as the building blocks of composition.
  • The historical development of perspective in two and three dimensional artworks from the
  • Renaissance to contemporary art
  • Expressive potential of mathematical concepts in works of art
  • The visual solutions that derive from mathematical concepts – how the artist directs us to see depth, a focal point, volume, etc.

Arizona Education Standards

 

Visual Arts Standards
Strand 2: Relate
Concept #1 Artworlds (PO 105),
Concept #3 Elements & Principles (PO 001, PO 301)
Concept #4 Meanings & Purposes (PO 001)

Strand 3: Evaluate
Concept #2 Materials, Tools, Techniques (PO 001)
Concept #3 Elements & Principles (PO 001, PO 201, PO 301)

Mathematics Standards
Strand 3: Patterns, Algebra and Functions
Concept #1 Patterns

Strand 4: Geometry and Measurement
Concept #1 Geometric properties
Concept #2 Transformation of Shapes
Concept #3 Coordinate geometry
Concept #4 Measurement

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