| Before the semester begins: | Read “The Allegory of the Cave”,
from Plato’s “the Republic”, Book VII. Draw (or create) a diagram that explains what was happening in the cave . . . The goal is to create a nice-looking diagram that would allow anyone looking at it to understand the situation in the cave, even if that 'anyone' hadn’t read any Plato . . . [details omitted] Write: a one-page paper. [See Socrates assignment]. |
| Week 1 |
Window
Taping exercise as an experiential introduction to perspective. Math/Art Exercises: Buy supplies. Write: Hand in Socrates assignment. |
| Week 2 |
Introduction to
the Plan View for perspective; coordinate systems. Discuss
summer assignments, share and discuss papers and artwork. Visit the
Writing
Center. Discuss use
of
detail to support a thesis. Interview professors for next week’s
paper. Read: chapters 1 and 2 of the textbook. Math/Art Exercises: from chapters 1 & 2 of book. Write: Taping Exercise |
| Week 3 |
Introduction to the
library. Visit computer workroom and create Excel
spreadsheet for drawing a house. Three-dimensional
coordinates.
Algebraic formulas for projecting these points on a picture
plane.
Misplaced modifiers. Read: Finish Chapter 2 Math/Art Exercises: Draft of Excel House. Write: “How to succeed in your classes” |
| Week 4 |
What is a
vanishing point? How to draw a cube in one-point
perspective. First
encounter with viewing distances. How to quote and
paraphrase. Using
other sources to support your thesis. Read: “Writing about Art” Math/Art Exercises Finish Excel House Write: either draft 5-page paper due, or else Choice of One-page paper: Blind copying paper or Vignette Summary |
| Week 5 |
Read, mark up,
and discuss 5 student papers. Visit art gallery; viewing distance
exercises. Poster gallery; more viewing distance with 1- and
2-point
perspective. Start 1-point perspective sketch of hallway. Read: “Using Outside Sources”; also an artist vignette from the textbook. Write: same as last week |
| Week 6 |
Read, mark up,
and discuss 5 student papers. Computing viewing distances when
there
is no image of a square, from 1x2 and other rectangles. Begin to
sketch images of 3-d letters, with an emphasis on correct width and
depth. Read: Student essays. Math/Art Exercises: sketch your hallway in 1-pt perspective Write: same as last week. |
| Week 7 |
Read, mark up,
and discuss 6 student papers. Begin “fence” problems: How
do you
divide a fence in half? There are many solutions. Compare
the
solutions on the basis of elegance, simplicity, and generalizability
(could you do the same in 2-point perspective? to divide the
fence
into n pieces?) Active and passive voice. Read: Textbook, Chapter 3 Math/Art Exercises: Write a word that is at least 4 letters long in 1-point perspective Write: 5-page paper due. |
| Week 8 |
Fall Break.
The “Paramedic Method” Video. Revisit passive/active voice.
More
fence problems: can you double the fence? divide it into 3 pieces? Read: Chapter 4 Math/Art Exercises: Write: Active/Passive Paper |
| Week 9 |
Week 9 Perspective with irregular objects. Art fieldtrip to a coffee shop; add a “poster” to the wall in your hallway sketch. Drawing square floor tiles in 1- and 2-point perspective (and how do you know they’re “squares” and not rectangles?). Read: Anamorphic Art chapter. Math/Art Exercises: Finish “poster on a wall” sketch. Write: What kinds of math are in your piece of art? |
| Week 10 |
Week 10 Drawing in 2-point and 3-point perspective. “What’s my line?” game (Drawing the original Excel House by hand, summarizing all our perspective techniques). Read: Chapter 5 Math/Art Exercises: Draw a 4-letter word in 2-point perspective. Write: Either 4-page paper or choice of one-page papers: (Viewing distance paper or Plan View paper) |
| Week 11 |
Read, mark up, and
discuss 5 student papers. Introduction to Fractals. Fractal
dimension. Iterations and the “Chaos Game”. Read: Student Papers. Math/Art Exercises: Hausdorff dimension of self-similar objects. Write: same as last week. |
| Week 12 |
Read, mark up,
and discuss 5 student papers. Using fractal software; connection
between an iterated function system to the generated fractal.
Sketching fractal “cauliflower”. Read: Student Papers. Math/Art Exercises: Finish fractal cauliflower. Write: same as last week. |
| Week 13 |
Read, mark up, and
discuss 6 student papers. Thanksgiving Break. Write: 5-page paper due. |
| Week 14 |
Iterations with
rotation and reflection. Recovering the original function system
from
an existing fractal. Dimension of the Chesapeake Bay.
Introduction to
the fourth dimension. The Hypercube. Read: Flatland, pages 1-52 Math/Art Exercises: given several fractals, uncover original transformation, check by plugging these into fractal software; print it out Write: Rewrite Socrates Paper |
| Week 15 | Flatland and
art. Hockney’s video on optical devices in Renaissance Art. Read: Flatland, pages 53-83 Math/Art Exercises: sketch person & cube passing through Flatland Write: Flatland/Allegory Paper. |