Liberal Arts Mathematics A Conceptual Art Form Steve Zides ( Physics Department )

Liberal Arts MathematicsA Conceptual Art Form

Steve Zides (Physics Department)

Conceptual Art and Liberal Arts Mathematics

What is Conceptual Art?

“In conceptual art the idea or

concept is the most important

aspect of the work. When an

artist uses a conceptual form

of art, it means that all of the

planning and decisions are

made beforehand and the

execution is a perfunctory

affair. The idea becomes a

machine that makes the art.”

--- Sol LeWitt

What is Liberal Arts Math?

“An introduction to the essence

of mathematics, namely, the

discovery and verification of

patterns, and to the historical

role of mathematics in shaping

culture.” --- Wofford Catalogue

One and Three Chairs by Joseph Kosuth

“What art has in common with logic and mathematics is that it is a tautology” --- Kosuth

Number and Set

Examples From Number and Set

Jasper Johns Georges-Pierre Seurat

Logic and Proof

Examples From Logic and Proof

René Magritte Joseph Wright

Geometry

Examples From Geometry

Masaccio PicassoCanaletto

Transformation and Iteration

Examples From Transformation and Iteration

M.C. Escher Robert Smithson

Final Projects

Assignment

The goal of this project is to get each student to think creatively about the material being covered in class.

To allow the maximum amount of flexibility, students may create a project in any format they choose. For example the project could be a video, photo collage, painting, series of sketches, short story, play scene, poetry collection, etc.

Types of Final Submission

Poems

Short Stories

Baby Mobil

Board Game

Rock Video

New Number System

Numbers and Classical

Music

Alternate Perspective

Painting

Psychology of Pattern

Fermat Collage

Kat’s Fermat Collage

Entire Collage

Boast in Latin

Statement of the Theorem

Liberal Arts MathematicsA Conceptual Art Form

Steve Zides (zidessb@wofford.edu)