Untitled from Connections
Silkscreen on paper
Support size: 27 1/2 x 19 5/8 inches; Image size: 17 5/8 x 13 3/4 inches
1948 / 1983
Although this work may appear visually simple at first glance, the concepts that drove its creation were deeply engaged with theoretical mathematics, especially the field of math known as knot theory, which studies the conditions under which one shape can be morphed into another. Knot theory and other theoretical frontiers in mid-twentieth-century mathematics were prominent at Black Mountain College due to the presence on the faculty of Max Dehn and Buckminster Fuller, leading innovators in geometry and architecture, respectively. The theme of knots thus constitutes a common thread linking the disciplines of art and math, and showcases how an artist can contribute to mathematical theory by helping to visually model mathematical ideas and structures.
As exhibited in:
Bauhaus to Black Mountain: Josef and Anni Albers, 2019–2020, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina
Inspired Encounters: Women Artists and the Legacies of Modern Art, 2022–2023, David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center, Tarrytown, New York
Other works by this artist