Taking Shape: Geometry in Art

Jan. 20–March 9, 2022
J. Wayne Stark Galleries | Memorial Student Center, MSC 1110

“Without mathematics, there is no art.” -Luca Pacioli

The word geometry comes from the Greek words ‘geo,’ meaning earth, and ‘metria,’ meaning measure. Ancient Egyptians used geometry as far back as 3,000 B.C., using equations to approximate the area of circles among other formulas.

In the 1960s, the world found itself embroiled in turmoil and change, from the Civil Rights Movement to the “invasion” of British pop music to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This turbulence created the perfect environment for an art movement that allowed people to reflect and think about reality, known as Optical Art or Op Art. Despite its early beginnings in pre-WWI art, the pinnacle of the movement’s success was in 1965, when the Museum of Modern Art in New York City exhibited works by many Op Art artists.

This exhibition features works by artists who expressed themselves and the world around them through artistic reflections in geometric forms, optical illusions, and abstraction.