Rental Sales Gallery

  • Blog
  • Artists
  • Events
  • Rent Art
  • Our Clients
  • Submissions
    • Standards for Acceptance
    • Policies and Procedures
    • Submission Instructions

Geometric Art

September 22, 2019

Today’s blog is written by volunteer Andie DeLuca. Thank you to her for this fascinating and original look at our collection. We hope that you enjoy reading it just as much as we did!

 

Geometry? Yikes!! Isn’t That a Really Hard Subject?

Well, I sure hope I’m never required to study it! But I find it useful and fun to relate geometric shapes to works of art. Anyone can go to our website and search our Catalogue for works that fall into the Geometric category.

Pre-schoolers often get an introduction to the names of basic shapes:

englishclub.com

 

Later, students are taught about the three dimensions: height, width, and depth. This usually occurs when they begin to study art:

boredpanda.com

 

After much study, artists who are interested can break down images to many varied geometric shapes, or build up an image from those shapes:

boredpanda.com

 

Almost all images can be destructed or constructed in this way. Our member artists produce many fascinating pictures, whether 2- or 3-dimensional, from the very basic to the most complex shapes.

The blues of Nina Sutter’s simple rectangles blend subtly to create a ghost-like cross in the center of her canvas.

Nina Sutter, Blue 02

 

Ralph Davis paints many simple circles as part of his images. In this work, he adds dimensional shading to create the sphere of a beautiful 3/4 moon.

Ralph Davis, Sphere IV

In a sculpture with slightly concave sides, Eric Boyer turns a cube on point. Simplicity of design and industrial material make for a large, statement piece of art.

Eric Boyer, Black Cube

 

Anita Kaplan, making fiber art, and Mike Baggetta, with mixed media, are joined by Kenneth Ray Wilson in utilizing slightly more complex shapes.

Anita Kaplan, Noon

 

Mike Baggetta, Geometric Abstract 062118

 

Kenneth Ray Wilson, Stripes with Orange Triangle

 

Complexity increases in works in paint, print, mixed media, and paper, as exampled by Barry Johnson, Alice Van Leunen, Annegret Disterheft and Francene Levinson:

Barry Johnson, Searching

 

Alice Van Leunen, Life in Letters

 

Annegret Disterheft, Above and Below

 

Francene Levinson, Cameron

 

Last, but not least by far, we see that even human figures and landscapes find their way into the Geometric category, as shown in the works of Paula Bullwinkel and Jon Jay Cruson:

Paula Bullwinkel, Ballet Russe

 

Jon Jay Cruson, A Quiet Place

 

« Fall Show & 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebrations
Running Wild – Animal Life in Rental Sales Gallery »

Gallery Hours

Tuesdays - Saturdays, 11am-5pm

Location

1237 SW 10th Ave. at Jefferson (map)

Contact

rentalsales@pam.org | 503-224-0674

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES

The Rental Sales Gallery, Portland Art Museum recognizes and honors the Indigenous peoples of this region on whose ancestral lands the museum now stands.

These include the Willamette Tumwater, Clackamas, Kathlemet, Molalla, Multnomah and Watlala Chinook Peoples and the Tualatin Kalapuya who today are part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and many other Native communities who made their homes along the Columbia River.

We also want to recognize that Portland today is a community of many diverse Native peoples who continue to live and work here. We respectfully acknowledge and honor all Indigenous communities - past, present, future - and are grateful for their ongoing and vibrant presence.

Copyright © 2023 Rental Sales Gallery  ·  rentalsales@pam.org  ·  503-224-0674