Liberal Arts Mathematics A Conceptual Art Form

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Liberal Arts MathematicsA Conceptual Art Form

• Steve Zides (Physics Department)

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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
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One and Three Chairs by Joseph Kosuth
What art has in common with logic and
mathematics is that it is a tautology ---
Kosuth
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Number and Set
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Examples From Number and Set
Jasper Johns
Georges-Pierre Seurat
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Logic and Proof
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Examples From Logic and Proof
René Magritte
Joseph Wright
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Geometry
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Examples From Geometry
Masaccio
Picasso
Canaletto
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Transformation and Iteration
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Examples From Transformation and Iteration
M.C. Escher
Robert Smithson
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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

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Kats Fermat Collage
Boast in Latin
Entire Collage
Statement of the Theorem
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Liberal Arts MathematicsA Conceptual Art Form

• Steve Zides (zidessb_at_wofford.edu)