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CHAPTER

0 Geometric Art

A work by Dutch graphic artist

M.C. Escher (1898–1972) opens
each chapter in this book. Escher
used geometry in creative ways
to make his interesting and
unusual works of art. As you
come to each new chapter,see
whether you can connect the
Escher work to the content of
the chapter.

OBJECTIVES
My subjects are often In this chapter you will
playful....It is, for example, a see examples of geometry
pleasure to deliberately mix together in nature
study geometric art forms
objects of two and of three dimensions, of cultures around the
surface and spatial relationships, and to world
make fun of gravity. study the symmetry in
flowers, crystals, and
M.C.ESCHER animals
see geometry as a way of
Print Gallery, M.C. Escher, 1956 thinking and of looking at
©2002 Cordon Art B.V.–Baarn–Holland. the world
All rights reserved. practice using a compass
and straightedge

© 2008 Key Curriculum Press

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L E S S O N Geometry in Nature
0.1 and in Art
Nature displays a seemingly infinite variety of geometric shapes, from tiny atoms
to great galaxies. Crystals, honeycombs, snowflakes, spiral shells, spiderwebs, and
There is one art, seed arrangements on sunflowers and pinecones are just a few of nature’s geometric
masterpieces.
no more no less,
To do all things
with artlessness.
PIET HEIN

Geometry includes the study of the properties of shapes such as circles,

hexagons, and pentagons. Outlines of the sun, the moon, and the planets
appear as circles. Snowflakes, honeycombs, and many crystals are
hexagonal (6-sided). Many living things, such as flowers and starfish,
are pentagonal (5-sided).
People observe geometric patterns in nature and
use them in a variety of art forms. Basket
weavers, woodworkers, and other artisans often
use geometric designs to make their works
more interesting and beautiful. You will learn
some of their techniques in this chapter.

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Artists rely on geometry to show perspective and proportion, and to produce

certain optical effects. Using their understanding of lines, artists can give depth to
their drawings. Or they can use lines and curves to create designs that seem to pop
out of the page. You will create your own optical designs in Lesson 0.4.

Symmetry is a geometric characteristic of both nature and art. You may already
know the two basic types of symmetry, reflectional symmetry and rotational
symmetry. A design has reflectional symmetry if you can fold it along a line
of symmetry so that all the points on one side of the line exactly coincide with
(or match) all the points on the other side of the line.

You can place a mirror on the line of symmetry so that half the figure and its
mirror image re-create the original figure. So, reflectional symmetry is also called
line symmetry or mirror symmetry. Biologists say an
organism with just one line of symmetry, like the
human body or a butterfly, has bilateral
symmetry. An object with reflectional
symmetry looks balanced.
A design has rotational symmetry if it
looks the same after you turn it around
a point by less than a full circle. The
number of times that the design looks
the same as you turn it through a
complete 360° circle determines the type
of rotational symmetry. The Apache basket
has 3-fold rotational symmetry because it
looks the same after you rotate it 120°
(a third of a circle), 240° (two-thirds
of a circle), and 360° (one full circle).

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A starfish has 5-fold symmetry. It looks the same after you rotate it 72°, 144°, 216°,
288°, or 360°.

Countries throughout the world use symmetry in their national flags. Notice that
the Jamaican flag has rotational symmetry in addition to two lines of reflectional
symmetry. You can rotate the flag 180° without changing its appearance. The
origami boxes, however, have rotational symmetry, but not reflectional symmetry.
(The Apache basket on page 3 almost has reflectional symmetry. Can you see why
it doesn’t?)

Consumer

Many products have eye-catching labels, logos, and designs. Have you ever
paid more attention to a product because the geometric design of its logo was
familiar or attractive to you?

EXERCISES
1. Name two objects from nature whose shapes are hexagonal. Name two living
organisms whose shapes have five-fold rotational symmetry.

2. Describe some ways that artists use geometry.

3. Name some objects with only one line of symmetry. What is the name for this type
of symmetry?

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4. Which of these objects have reflectional symmetry (or approximate reflectional symmetry)?
A. B. C.

D. E. F.

5. Which of the objects in Exercise 4 have rotational symmetry (or approximate

rotational symmetry)?
6. Which of these playing cards have rotational symmetry? Which ones have
reflectional symmetry?

If an exercise has an at the

7. British artist Andy Goldsworthy (b 1956) uses materials from nature end, you can find a hint to
to create beautiful outdoor sculptures. The artful arrangement of help you in Hints for Selected
Exercises at the back of the
sticks below might appear to have rotational symmetry, but instead book.
it has one line of reflectional symmetry. Can you find the line of
symmetry?

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8. Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor of India from 1628 to 1658, had the beautiful Taj Mahal
built in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Its architect, Ustad Ahmad Lahori,
designed it with perfect symmetry. Describe two lines of symmetry in this photo.
How does the design of the building’s grounds give this view of the Taj Mahal even
more symmetry than the building itself has?

9. Create a simple design that has two lines of reflectional symmetry. Does it have
rotational symmetry? Next, try to create another design with two lines of
reflectional symmetry, but without rotational symmetry. Any luck?
10. Bring to class an object from nature that shows geometry. Describe the geometry
that you find in the object as well as any symmetry the object has.
11. Bring an object to school or wear something that displays a form of handmade or
manufactured geometric art. Describe any symmetry the object has.

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L E S S O N
0.2
We especially need
imagination in science.It is
not all mathematics,nor all
logic,but it is somewhat
beauty and poetry.
MARIA MITCHELL
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Line Designs
The symmetry and patterns in geometric designs make them
very appealing. You can make many designs using the basic
tools of geometry—compass and straightedge.
You’ll use a straightedge to construct straight lines
and a compass to construct circles and to mark off
equal distances. A straightedge is like a ruler but it has no
marks. You can use the edge of a ruler as a straightedge.
The straightedge and the compass are the classical
construction tools used by the ancient Greeks, who laid
the foundations of the geometry that you are studying.
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You can create many types of designs using only straight lines. Here are two line
designs and the steps for creating each one.

EXERCISES
1. What are the classical construction tools of geometry?

2. Create a line design from this lesson. Color your design.

3. Each of these line designs uses straight lines only. Select one design and re-create it
on a sheet of paper.

4. Describe the symmetries of the three designs in Exercise 3. For the third design,
does color matter?

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5. Many quilt designers create beautiful geometric patterns with

reflectional symmetry. One-fourth of a 4-by-4 quilt pattern and its
reflection are shown at right. Copy the designs onto graph paper,
and complete the 4-by-4 pattern so that it has two lines of
reflectional symmetry. Color your quilt.
6. Geometric patterns seem to be in motion in a quilt design with rotational
symmetry. Copy the quilt piece shown in Exercise 5 onto graph paper,
and complete the 4-by-4 quilt pattern so that it has 4-fold rotational
symmetry. Color your quilt.
7. Organic molecules have geometric shapes. How many different lines of
reflectional symmetry does this benzene molecule have? Does it have
rotational symmetry? Sketch your answers.

Architecture

Frank Lloyd Wright

(1867–1959) is often called
America’s favorite architect.
He built homes in 36 states—
sometimes in unusual settings.
Fallingwater, located in
Pennsylvania, is a building
designed by Wright that displays
his obvious love of geometry.
Can you describe the geometry
you see? Find more information
on Frank Lloyd Wright at
www.keymath.com/DG

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L E S S O N Circle Designs
0.3 People have always been fascinated by circles. Circles are used in the design of
mosaics, baskets, and ceramics, as well as in the architectural design of buildings.

Its where we go,and what

we do when we get there,
that tells us who we are.
JOYCE CAROL OATES

You can make circle designs with a compass as your primary tool. For example,
here is a design you can make on a square dot grid.
Begin with a 7-by-9 square dot grid. Construct three rows of four circles.

Construct two rows of three circles using the points between the first set of circles
as centers. The result is a set of six circles overlapping the original 12 circles.
Decorate your design.

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Here is another design that you can make using only a compass. Start by
constructing a circle, then select any point on it. Without changing your compass
setting, swing an arc centered at the selected point. Swing an arc with each of the
two new points as centers, and so on.

Dynamic Geometry Explorations

at www.keymath.com/DG
show geometric concepts visually
using interactive sketches.

keymath.com/DG See the Dynamic Geometry Exploration Daisy Designs at www.keymath.com/DG

Notice the shape you get by connecting the six petal tips of the daisy. This is a
regular hexagon, a 6-sided figure whose sides are the same length and whose
angles are all the same size.

You can do many variations on a daisy design.

© 2008 Key Curriculum Press LESSON 0.3 Circle Designs 11

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EXERCISES You will need

For Exercises 1–5, use your construction tools.

1. Use square dot paper to create a 4-by-5
grid of 20 circles, and then make 12 circles
overlapping them. Color or shade the
design so that it has reflectional
symmetry.
2. Use your compass to create a set of
seven identical circles that touch but
do not overlap. Draw a larger circle that
encloses the seven circles. Color or shade
your design so that it has rotational
symmetry.
3. Create a 6-petal daisy design and color
or shade it so that it has rotational
symmetry, but not reflectional symmetry.
4. Make a 12-petal daisy by drawing a second 6-petal daisy
between the petals of the first 6-petal daisy. Color or shade
the design so that it has reflectional symmetry, but not
rotational symmetry.
5. Using a 1-inch setting for your compass, construct a central
regular hexagon and six regular hexagons that each share
one side with the original hexagon. Your hexagon design
should look similar to, but larger than, the figure at right.
This design is called a tessellation, or tiling, of regular
hexagons.

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