Art and ArchitectureHow have changes in society created a use for geometry in art?

Influence of geometry in art and architecture.

In this unit you will be studying geometry and it’s influence in modern art and architecture.

You will study 2-d and 3-d shapes, points, lines and planes and how they are used to create art and architecture of the 20th century.

Realism 1848-1900

The realist movement in art originated in France during the 1800's. The realists wanted to break away from the formal artistic styles and subjects of the past, so they created objective, unemotional works of art.

Their works typically portrayed ordinary, or working-class, people, as opposed to heroic, historic, biblical, or royal figures.

They depicted scenes of traditional life and sought to honor the dignity of humble people leading simple lives.

The Washerwoman by Honoré Daumier

Impressionism 1872

Impressionists painted ordinary people and everyday scenes, to them, the subject of a painting was not as important as the portrayal of light and color.

Shapes were no longer carefully modeled and clearly outlined. Instead, they were painted as masses of vibrant color. Even shadows, usually painted gray or black, were tinged with color.  The new form of painting came to be called impressionism. It was the first modern art movement and it changed the way artists painted and the way people looked at art. Regatta at Argenteuil by Claude Monet

Cubism 1909-1914the first abstract style

In the early years of the 1900’s modern science was exploring everything, replacing superstitions with facts. In all areas of life there were reactions against illusions of any kind. Moreover, the new science of anthropology revealed much about the relationship between art and civilization.

Cubism was the first abstract style of modern art and was invented in Paris by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

House at L'EstaqueGeorges Braque

Picasso and Braque were interested in African sculpture. They found the simple shapes and sharp contrasts beautiful, and they began to develop a new style influenced by African work.

They concentrated on how to represent a form in its purest way. This was done by showing many different aspects at once. Forms were showed using basic geometric shapes such as the quadrilateral, cone, cylinder and sphere. Picasso, Factory, Horta de Ebbo

Pablo PicassoSpain 1881-1973

Jacqueline assise

Le pigeon aux petits pois

Russian Revolution1917

At the end of WWI the governing power in Russia, was overthrown by the Bolsheviks, or working class members of the communist party. For Russia, this was a time of great discovery and innovation and spurred an abundance of culture.

Artists and writers sought to separate themselves from old tradition, while at the same time strove to create a universal culture that could be appreciated and understood by all.

Constructivism was a desire to express the art of the modernizing goals of the Russian Revolution. New media was often used in the creation of works, which helped to create a style of art that was orderly. An art of order was desirable at the time because it was just after WWI that the movement arose, which suggested a need for understanding, unity and peace.

Kazimir Malevich Russian 1878-1935

Malevich created “Suprematism” which was an art movement, focused on basic geometric forms, such as circles, squares, lines, and rectangles, painted in a limited range of colors.

SUPREMATIST COMPOSITION, 1915

Suprematist Construction

Aeroplane Flying

Wassily KandinskyRussia 1866-1944

Kandinsky felt that he could express feelings and music through colors and shapes in his paintings.

The shapes he was most interested in were the circle, triangle, and the square. He thought the triangle would cause aggressive feelings, the square calm feelings, and the circle spiritual feelings. Composition VIII

Hommage a GrohmannBalancement

Geometric Abstraction 1915

Geometric abstraction is a visual art form that uses simple geometric shapes and does not represent anything in the natural world. Cornelis Vink

Piet Mondrian Dutch 1872–1944

Piet Mondrian was an important leader in the development of abstract art who founded the De Stijl movement. Mondrian used the simplest combinations of straight lines, right angles and primary colors.

Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red

RHYTMUSBroadway Boogie Woogie

Frank Lloyd WrightAmerican Stained Glass

Organic and Urban Geometry

Sea star

Geometry is all around us. Geometry in nature is considered to be organic, meaning it’s not not made by man. Organic shapes might not have purely straight sides and perfect angles like things made by humans.

Modern Architecture

Modern architects love lines; you will find strong linear elements and bold horizontal and vertical features.  

Beams, posts, windows, staircases, fireplaces, roof lines, and other structural elements all assist the architect in creating a linear-inspired space.  

Lines of Modern architecture tend to be straight and angled rather than curved, however organic lines can sneak their way into Modern home design. Habitat 67

Moshe Safdie Israeli-Canadian

I.M. Pei Le Louvre, Paris

Relaxx Sports CenterKlimková and Kručay Slovakia

Guggenheim NYC Frank Lloyd Wright American

What if the the points, lines and planes were 3-d?

Barcelona PavillionLudwig Mies van der Rohe Germany