HYPERSEEINGThe Publication of the International Society of the Arts, Mathematics, and Architecture Fall/Winter 2009 www.isama.org Articles Exhibits Resources Cartoons Books News IIlustrations Announcements Communications Destiny, A Sculpture by Bruce Beasley 2009, 75 x 75 ft, Oiled steel, Monterey, Mexico ISAMA The International Society of the Arts, Mathematics, and Architecture www.isama.org BECOME A MEMBER ISAMAMembershipRegistration MembershipinISAMAisfree.MembershipimpliesyouwillreceiveallISAMAemail announcementsconcerningconferencesandothernewsitemsofinterest. Name…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Address……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Emailaddress……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 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Ergun Akleman BECOME FALL 2009 Cover Image: Destiny, A Sculpture by Bruce Beasley 2009, 75 x 75 ft, Oiled steel, Monterey, Mexico A MEMBER Articles Art of Anna Bliss II - Site Works by Article Submission Anna Bliss Bruce Beasley: Bronze, For inclusion in Hyperseeing, au- Granite and Steel by Nat Introduction to Pleat Tessellations thors are invited to email articles for Friedman by Goran Konjevod the preceding categories to: [email protected] GridField Space by Douglas Reviews Peden Articles should be a maximum of Reviews by Nat Friedman eight pages. Swell: The Technique behind the Script by Gabriel Es- Cartoons quivel and Jeremy Harper Illustration by Robert Kauffmann JMM 2010 Art Exhibit by Nat Friedman MADmatic by Ergun Akleman TopMod and Creativity by Announcements Mehrdad Garousi ISAMA 2010- Chicago June 20-25 Site and Sun: Geometry and Time in Environmental Sculpture by Stephen Lueck- ing Keizo Ushio: Recent Sculp- tures by Nat Friedman Nikolaos Georgakas: Sculp- ture Variations by Nat Fried- man ISAMA The International Society of the Arts, Mathematics, and Architecture www.isama.org BECOME A MEMBER ISAMAMembershipRegistration MembershipinISAMAisfree.MembershipimpliesyouwillreceiveallISAMAemail announcementsconcerningconferencesandothernewsitemsofinterest. Name…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Address……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Emailaddress……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Interests……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… [email protected] ISAMA Bruce Beasley: Bronze, Granite and Steel. Nat Friedman [email protected] Introduction Bruce Beasley’s work was introduced in [1] and he will be giving a talk at the 2010 Joint Mathematics Meeting in San Francisco on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 8 pm. Thus we thought it was appropriate to present additional examples of his work including his recent monumental sculpture Destiny shown in Figure 18. As in [1], we will concentrate on sculptures that consist of intersecting rectangular forms. These sculptures were motivated by Beasley studying crystalline forms in nature. As abstract geometric sculptures, they are impressive in their intricate composition and construction. However, Beasley’s main aim is for a sculpture to convey a profound gestural feeling, just as the pose of a dancer can convey a gestural feeling. Thus the works are appealing from both an abstract and expressionistic viewpoint. Beasley designs a sculpture by using a special CAD (computer aided design) program that allows him to develop the sculpture one rectangular form at a time. The program also allows the sculpture to be rotated in space so Beasley can see it at any stage from any viewpoint. Beasley says “The process has a life of its own. I discover the piece as I create it” (interview with Marlena Donohue). At any stage in adding rectangular forms, he may edit the work, revising intersections, angles, and sizes until being completely satisfied. Upon completion of the sculpture, the program prints out the shapes of the sides of each intersecting form. These sides can be copied on foam core sheet and then the foam core sides are joined to obtain a foam core model of the sculpture. The model is then used to develop an enlarged sculpture in either bronze, granite, or steel. Cast Bronze and Welded Bronze Sculptures In the case of a bronze sculpture, liquid wax is applied to the surfaces of the sides of the model and then the wax is scored to obtain surface texture. The scored model is then embedded, burned out, and replaced by pouring liquid bronze to obtain the bronze sculpture. The last stage is to patina the bronze surface resulting in the final sculpture. These sculptures are referred to as cast bronze. For large sculptures, the foam core shapes are enlarged and used as patterns for cutting sheet bronze shapes. These shapes are then welded together to form the sculpture, which is referred to as a bronze sculpture. Cast Bronze Sculptures Five cast bronze sculptures are presented below. Breakout shown in Figure 1 is a Beasley arch form sculpture. The element projecting diagonally up and forward from the lower left gives the sculpture a powerful thrust upward and forward in one movement. Here a quote by the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida (1925-2002) is appropriate: Figure 1. Breakout, Cast bronze, 1991, 28 x 44 x 12 in. Figure 2. Observer, Cast bronze, Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California. 2002, 70 x 22 x 13 in. Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. “Only one of the three dimensions is active (the one which comes toward me from far to near) But all three must be in power, alternating the activity.” EC Note that Chillida refers to “comes toward me from far to near”, which is like a powerful punch. That is the feeling I get when viewing Breakout. The active third dimension is what turns the two-dimensional page into three-dimensional space and is the difference between painting and sculpture. The whole arrangement of intersecting blocks in the center has a variety of shapes moving in a variety of directions, including towards you, and results in a sculpture that is very alive. This is an essential point concerning intersecting blocks in all of Beasley’s sculptures below and should be recalled in each case. A vertical cantilevered sculpture Observer is shown in Figure 2. Here the slanting leg component on the right in Breakout becomes a vertical component in Observer. Cast Bronze Sculptures A relief sculpture Ancile is shown in Figure 3. This sculpture can also be considered horizontally as a landscape and then the view in Figure 3 would be the top view, with landscape forms rising Five cast bronze sculptures are presented below. Breakout shown in Figure 1 is a Beasley arch up toward you. One can also consider the top view of Observer in Figure 2 coming toward you. form sculpture. The element projecting diagonally up and forward from the lower left gives the sculpture a powerful thrust upward and forward in one movement. Here a quote by the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida (1925-2002) is appropriate: Figure 1. Breakout, Cast bronze, 1991, 28 x 44 x 12 in. Figure 2. Observer, Cast bronze, Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California. 2002, 70 x 22 x 13 in. Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth Figure 3. Ancile, 2002, Cast bronze, Figure 4. Arpeggio, 2002, Cast bronze, 2002, College, Hanover, New Hampshire. 38 x 28 x 9 in. Private collection. 32 x 31 x 11 in. Private collection. “Only one of the three dimensions is active (the one which comes toward me from far to near) Arpeggio in Figure 4 is another arch form sculpture like Breakout in Figure 1. Arpeggio has a But all three must be in power, alternating the activity.” EC strong figurative feel for me. The group of intersecting blocks appear as muscles. This form also appears enlarged in stone in Figure 14 and in monumental size in steel in Figure 18. Note that Chillida refers to “comes toward me from far to near”, which is like a powerful punch. That is the feeling I get when viewing Breakout. The active third dimension is what turns the In the later sculpture Query in Figure 5, there is a new arrangement of elements. In particular, the two-dimensional page into three-dimensional space and is the difference between painting and leg element slanting down on the right in Figure 4 is slanting up on the left in Figure 5. The tall sculpture. support