Art and Culture Center of Hollywood Distance Learning Optical Illusion: Creating a Mathematical Tessellation

Transcription

1 Integrated Art Lesson Title: Art and Culture Center of Hollywood Distance Learning Optical Illusion: Creating a Mathematical Tessellation Description and Overall Focus: Length of Lesson Grade Range Objective(s) Materials: PLEASE NOTE: Some materials must be acquired prior to this lesson. Page 5 contains 12 images. You may reprint page 5 as many times as you need. Introductory activity Core activity Closure activity Assessment This project will allow students to learn how to create illusory optical effects by combining patterns of like geometric shapes (tessellations) resulting in art that tricks the eye. 45 minutes Upper Elementary/Middle School Students will learn about the art of Maurits Cornelius Escher ( ), a predecessor to the Op Art movement, as well as Bridget Riley of the Op Art movement. Students then will learn how to use geometric shapes to create a tessellation a visual art piece that appears to feature a three-dimensional, mathematical construction. Teacher Supplies: Printed (on card stock) square template 1 per student Student Supplies: 8 ½ X 11 sheet of white paper Scissors Tape (Scotch or similar) Pencil Crayons Black pen or fine tip permanent marker (Sharpie or similar) Students will begin by learning about the art of M.C. Escher and its relationship to the Op Art movement. Students will be shown some examples of his most famous work and work by Op Artist Bridget Riley. Students will also learn about methods in which the artist can trick the eye to see impossible constructions where there are none. This will be accomplished through the placement of color within shapes on the page to create a tessellation. Students will begin by following cutting directions for their squares and then combine cut shapes in order to achieve a component for a tessellation. Students will complete their creations, making sure that their shapes have been traced and colored multiple times, resulting in an optical illusion of a 3-D construction like Escher s. Students will have learned about the history and works of art of M.C. Escher. They will also have learned the application of tonal gradation in geometric shapes to help achieve a three-

2 dimensional illusion. Geometry will have been discussed (parallelogram, hexagon, square, triangle) as well as mathematical terminology (pattern, tessellation, regular, irregular, symmetry, polygon, etc.). Teacher follow-up idea Student follow-up idea Book/Web references The classroom teacher can use the books and websites below to present more of the information surrounding the subsequent Op Art movement and artists such as Victor Vasarely, as well as further M.C. Escher designs. Students can continue to make optical illusions, based on M.C. Escher s work, using tessellations or they can try to draw the Penrose Tribar (impossible triangle). The Ultimate Book of Optical Illusions by Al Seckel Art and Culture Center of Hollywood Lesson plan prepared by Traci Petersen, MFA Animal Tessellation Penrose Tribar Illusion

3 Tessellation is the process of creating a two-dimensional plane using the repetition of a geometric shape with no overlaps and no gaps to create a pattern. Generalizations to higher dimensions are also possible. Tessellations frequently appeared in the art of M. C. Escher, who was inspired by studying use of symmetry in tile art. Tessellations are seen throughout art history, from ancient architecture to modern art, as in the Op Art movement of the 1960s. A honeycomb is an example of a natural tessellated structure. Maurits Cornelis (M.C.) Escher ( ) is one of the world's most famous graphic artists. His art is enjoyed by millions of people all over the world. Bridget Riley, Cataract 3, M.C Escher s work also strongly influenced the Modern art movement called Op Art, or optical art. Bridget Riley is an English painter who is one of the most well-known artists of Op Art. Riley s work mostly consists of black and white art created by using repeated geometric shapes, or tessellations. She currently lives and works in London, Cornwall, and France. Much of her art work evolved into optical art showing the illusion of movement. It s fun and simple to create your own tessellations, or optical illusion-style art. Just choose a shape and repeat it in a pattern that goes from left to right, up and down, turning and changing the shape s colors as you go! He was quite famous for his transformation prints, and he played with architecture, perspective and impossible spaces.

4 Tessellations from A regular tessellation is a pattern made by repeating a regular polygon. To be a regular polygon all the sides and angles must be the same. There are only 3 regular tessellations: Triangles Squares Hexagons 6.6.6

5 Templates: One square per student. You may copy p. 5 (recommended on card stock or thick paper) as many times as needed.