Event 3: Hammer

My friends and I went to Hammer Museum during Week 2 this quarter. Hammer Museum, which is located in Westwood, is very close to UCLA campus. Students can visit Hammer for free with their students IDs. I believe it is a very good place to enjoy artworks. Also, since the topic of week 2 is math and art, I find many interesting artworks at Hammer related to this topic. 

Me, my friend, and a front desk assitant 

Me, my friend, and a staff at Hammer

Upon my arrival, my friends and I were very impressed by the multiple artworks on the wall.  

One of the artworks at Hammer

Another artwork related to math at Hammer

I believe the two artworks in the pictures above are both perfect examples which show the relationship between art and math. In the first picture, artist uses geometric shapes like rectangles and triangles to form the artwork. By using these shapes which include angles, artist make the artwork have a three-dimensional looking and a contrast effect. The second picture, on the other hand, includes more circles and curves.  Unlike triangles and rectangles, circles and curves can leave people a more gentle feeling. Even though the two artworks use different mathematical shapes to show the images, it still proves the importance of math as illustrated in the lecture. Besides,  these two pictures points out how different geometric shapes can affect the artworks differently. 

James Welling- Geometric Abstraction 
<<http://www.regenprojects.com/exhibitions/2012_2_james-welling/#2>

James Welling- Geometric Abstraction
<http://www.regenprojects.com/exhibitions/2012_2_james-welling/#8>
TIP:Please note that photography is prohibited in most of the exhibitions at Hammer.
Please ask securities for information. 

The second thing caught my attention is James Welling's exhibition called Monograph. According to the synopses, the geometric abstraction artworks were made from "digital negatives of photograms created by laying long strips of paper onto 8×10 inch sheets of black and white photographic paper. " After that, James filled the white areas by using an array of colorful filters. I believe this geometric exhibition is a perfect example to study the topic, math and art，as well. James engages mathematical shapes, photograph knowledge, and materials into one single artwork. It simply proves that math can make great contributions to art. In addition, James successfully uses the knowledge of positives and negatives in photograph to make simple geometric shapes become artworks. This shows the how can artists apply different knowledges to explore the beauty of mathematics. 

Forrest Bess Untitled 1957 -Seeing Things Invisible
<http://www.forrestbess.org/paintings.html>

I strongly recommend all my fellow classmates to visit Hammer. It has a lot of interesting exhibitions on show right now. James Welling's exhibition will last until January 12, 2014. Besides, "Forrest Bess: Seeing Things Invisible" is another very attractive exhibition. Interested students should definitely check it out.  

Me and my friend playing ping-pong at Hammer

Works Cited

"James Welling: Geometric Abstraction, Regen Projects II, Los Angeles, CA. "Minus Space. 29 Feb.2012.Web. 4 Dec. 2013
<http://www.minusspace.com/2012/02/james-welling-geometric-abstraction-regen-projects-ii-los-angeles-ca/>