Lens-Artists Challenge #141 – Geometry
“Sometimes it’s all about the details, they make the whole more meaningful.”
Iva Kenos
This week Patti has challenged us to explore geometry. I will admit it was never my favorite subject, but the great minds of history – such as Euclid and Archimedes and Fibonacci – have shown the incredibly specific order of our universe which in turn gives us the ability to build and create everything in our world. Fibonacci is known for proving that even nature itself follows geometric principals to create things like flowers, trees, seashells, the patterns on giraffes and tigers, even our own DNA.
“Mighty is geometry; joined with art, resistless.”
Euripides
Geometry comes from the Greek words “Geo” and “Metron” which mean Earth and Measurement. Geometry, aka “Earth’s Measurement”, is a branch of mathematics that studies the sizes, shape, position, angle and dimension of things. Even the pyramids, built in 2800 B.C. are noted to have followed the most intricate of geometric principles, the “golden ratio”.
“Architecture is geometry made visible in the same sense that music is number made audible.”
Claude F Bragdon
From the ancient pyramids to the beautiful skyline of Shanghai’s Pudong district, architects have used geometry to study and divide space as well as to draft detailed building plans. Builders and engineers rely on geometry to create safe structures. Designers apply geometry along with color and scale to create appealing spaces. Geometry is also inherent in art as demonstrated in the beautiful Chihuly glass in my earlier capture above.
“Life is a web that you weave.”
Irfa Rahat
Spiders’ webs are intricate examples of natural geometry. Every side of the web is equal to every other side, and their strength and geometric precision is unique. Interestingly, scientists are studying spider silk because it is highly flexible, extremely stretchable, surpasses steel in strength, and can be formed into a mesh that would stop a bullet.
“Scratch the surface of knowledge and mystery bubbles up like a spring.”
Chet Raymo
Have you ever thought about the shape of bubbles, which are always round? Mathmeticians explain it using the “isoperimetric” theorem. It comes down to geometry – soap bubbles form spheres to minimize surface area. Who knew?!
“Our actions in the present build the staircase to the future. “
Craig D. Lounsbrough
While Patti’s challenge for the week definitely required more than my usual thought, it also made me realize the number of images I could use to illustrate it. To me, that was further proof that geometry is everywhere if we give it some consideration. Perhaps I should have paid a bit more attention to it in those classes long ago 😊.
My personal thanks to Patti for her creative challenge this week. We look forward to seeing your take on the subject. Please remember to link your response to her original post, and to use the Lens-Artists TAG to help us and our other followers to find you in our WP Reader section. As always, we appreciate your creative and interesting responses to last week’s Change of Scenery challenge. Special thanks also to Beth of Wandering Dawgs for having joined us as guest host. Finally, we invite you to give some thought to next week for Ann-Christine’s “You Pick It” challenge, which suggests you choose your own subject. Until then, please remember to stay safe and be kind.
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These are all wonderful!
Loved your works, Tina. ❤
Many thanks!
You certainly have expanded my consciousness of geometry – I picked the most obvious geometry – architecture and geometric patterns, but after your post I see it is everywhere.
Thanks Elizabeth
Beautiful photos, Tina. I like the spider web the most.
What a great post Tina!! Loved all of your examples of geometric shapes – the spider web, bubbles, sunflowers, Chihuly’s work and Shanghai skyline – plus your comments about each.
Amazing shot!…..
Always such a treat to spend a little time visiting Travels and Trifles Tina. It always makes my day. Wishing you a very happy Easter weekend on yet another day of such sadness for your country. My thoughts are with all those who are grieving once again. Stay safe and well 💕
Thank you Andrew. Yes we seem to have more than our share of troubles of late, but the sun is shining, we’ve had our vaccines, our family was finally able to visit and spring has arrived so I’m focusing on the positives. Happy Easter to you and yours as well.
Fascinating
Thanks!
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Looking at the bubbles look so peaceful.
😊 Thanks Julie – it was actually a pretty chaotic moment! I photographed an outdoor wedding after which they celebrated the newly-married couple using a bubble machine. They loved the resulting images from such a fun moment.
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Every click is a master piece Tina Schell.
Stairway to Heaven is funny. Enjoyed reading your narration
Thanks Philo, glad you enjoyed! Never been much of a fan of geometry but the challenge gave me a new appreciation 😊
The topic is very inspirational.
Now I started seriously looking for geometry
Love them all, Tina – Chihuly is something I STILL HAVEN’T seen…incredible. Traveling is what I need. And what city if not Shanghai goes best with Geometry?
Thanks A-C. Chihuly’s work is incredible. I’m happy to see his exhibits getting exposure in so many places. Perhaps your corner of the world is on his radar for the future 🤞. As for Shanghai – let me just say we found it jaw-droppingly beautiful. The night we arrived there were fireworks over the skyline and none of the horrific air quality issues we’d been told to expect. A very, very fond travel memory.
I remember that, Tina – the horrific part was for us… And Chihuly was in Kew gardens last year when we had planned to go.
You have convinced me, geometry is everywhere. Great images!
Thanks Ana 😊 – as the song says “It’s a Wonderful World” – most of the time !
Nature provides beautiful shapes and colors!!
She does indeed Nora! Thanks for stopping by.
Tins these photos look like paintings. Great image of Shanghai..and the spider web is outstanding.
Many thanks Anita – must admit although I’m not a fan, in the right season we have plenty of webs to consider! I was amazed at the number of articles I found when I googled spider webs. Apparently they are geometrically incredible and their strength is unrivaled in the natural world. Who knew?!
I should check through some of my old photos to see if there are some ..
You really have a wonderful selection of geometric shapes!
Thanks Aletta – honestly I was surprise when I saw how many images would work for the theme 😊
That is great!
I love Chihuly’s work and your image is stunning Tina.
The Bragdon quote is very thought-provoking. Thanks for that too.
Thanks Su – he’s quite something isn’t he? A neighbor’s son understudied with him and is also doing really beautiful work. Re Bragdon, I liked that one too. Seemed to make sense to me.
Oh wow; your neighbour’s son is so fortunate, and I can imagine his own work is pretty wonderful.
Love your post, Tina!
Many thanks Svetlana! How’s the new camera? Hoping to see some results here soon!!
Your bubble photo is enchanting, and I love the juxtaposition of sunflowers and chihuly glass flowers. I’ll get a post together for this week. Just had to take last week off!
Thanks Lindy – will look forward to seeing what you come up with.
nice idea with the flowers and the soap-bubbles. The last one – were you standing below a connection bridge inside a modern business tower or a shopping mall? I like the angle of view, despite it makes me a bit dizzy.
Thanks Andre – trying for something a bit different on those 😊. The last image is from a very modern winery in South America. It was a gorgeous building and the staircase led to an opening which opened to a roof, where we were surrounded by views of the vineyards with the snowcapped Andes mountains behind them. Spectacular really.
Sounds very interesting. Maybe you can post a few more images soon
WOW. Great examples all, each one a pleasure.
Thanks John, glad you enjoyed these.
I guess that “Chihuly art” is a piece by Chihuly? Beautiful piece, and a great shot (needless to say). I love the shot of those ephemeral bubbles. It has another geometry: the multiple images of the sun in each is due to sunlight being partially reflected again and again as it travels repeatedly through the bubble in straight lines. Geometry is always fun!
It is I.J. We saw his amazing exhibit in Seattle. Great catch re the bubble geometry. Hadn’t thought of that!
Tina, I have to say ” That day will never come, were you won’t surprise me, with your superb photography along with the perfect use of wise quotes”
Well wouldn’t that be nice Cornelia – we can hope! Thank you SO much for that lovely comment.
Bubbles! I did not know why they have the spherical shape! And the Chihuly flowers are beautiful. I am a fan of Fibonacci. I remember learning that the charts used by commodities traders in the Futures market use Fibonacci arcs to predict the rise of fall of prices of various commodity futures. He must have tapped into some sort of force of nature with his arcs.
Hmmm…..must admit I’d not seen that but it makes sense. I’m sure Fibonacci had nothing like that in mind when he made his mark! I too was totally surprised about the bubbles – always good to put a little fact with the fun right Anne?!
The Chihuly pieces really echo the flowers in your first shot. Beautiful shots! The spider web picture is nice too. Spiders are good at expressing geometry.
Thank you so much for mentioning that Siobhan, definitely my intent! I’d honestly not thought of spiders until I started hopping around the web (lol) to read up on geometry. It’s been a LONG time since I studied it (poorly) in school.
Wow, Tina. I’m delighted you added the bubbles and the spider’s web to our collection this week. Great idea–as well as your explanation of the meaning of the word geometry and the explanation for the shape of the soap bubbles. Fascinating! As always, you rise to the challenge and delight us all!
Much appreciated Patti – I found this one really drove me to think outside the box (get it?! 😊). Once I got into it I really enjoyed it. Never good at geometry in school so hopefully I’ve made up for it a bit this week LOL.
I was not a stellar math student by ANY means.😱
I don’t know if I can pick a favorite for this week. I’m always up with bubbles just because they are so fun 😀
Me too Cee! I spent some time wandering around the net to help me develop my thoughts and the bubbles really made me smile. I’d recently shot a wedding and at the end they used a bubble machine for the kids. I’d taken a few extra shots and thought they worked for this week. Appreciate your choosing them!
You can just dive into that Chihuly and get lost, Tina. And sunflowers to dance in! Fabulous 🙂 🙂
Many thanks Jo – the Chihuly exhibit was amazing – glad you chose both of those. I kind of thought they worked together.
They do! At first I thought one was a variant of the other 🙂 🙂
The Shanghai skyline is amazing but the nature’s geometry are ones which fascinated me.
Thanks very much Joyce – I enjoyed finding some unusual examples
Another thing we have in common, geometry was not my subject either. Especially when it came to proofs. Ginny, my sis, she was able to self-study the course in HS in one semester. The next semester, she did second year algebra. I needed the classroom structure, but even then it was, huh?
“Huh” is exactly my sentiment David! My granddaughter was here with us this week and she clearly has a better grasp than I do, and she’s only 14 LOL!
She must be a math girl.
For someone who claims to have struggled with this theme you’ve come up with some great examples, both in nature and manmade! I like that quote from Bragdon – I wish I’d come across it as it would have fitted my post really well 😆
I see we did both share Euripides though Sarah! I’ll admit this one did take me longer than usual to put together but I learned some things along the way so that’s a good thing, right?!
That CHIHULY ART! Leaves me speechless…
I know Jude, he is simply amazing. That is such a small sample of what was an incredible exhibit. Thanks!
Great selections, Tina. I love the web, flowers, and bubbles, how clever! The image of the skyline of Shanghai’s Pudong district is incredibly beautiful, I’m in awe!!
Thanks Amy – tried to take a different approach on this one. Amazing how many examples there are in nature but yes, Shanghai is one of the best examples of geometric architecture I’ve ever seen. Glad you enjoyed.
Some great examples, Tina! Love the idea of a Fibonacci flower….
Thanks Sue – must admit I knew of Fibonacci but it was the first time I’d every really thought about the many examples in nature.
Excellent!
I love, love, love this. Geometry, patterns in nature, Fibonacci, … perfect! Great pictures + wonderful words to support the theme. Thanks, Tina!
Well thanks very much for your enthusiastic response Frank – much appreciated!
Stunning examples all, Tina. Shanghai is certainly lovely but I’m glad to see it in a photo. I’m not much for enormous cities in person. 🙂 But I instantly knew who had created our second example. I absolutely love his work and have been blessed to see it in a number of places, including an installation at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix in 2014.
janet
Many thanks Janet – yes I’m a big fan as well. We saw his exhibit in Seattle. Such an incredible talent
Great post, Tina. Especially liked the opening images.
Thanks Jane, glad you enjoyed those. A bit of a different approach
Very interesting and well researched post, Tina. You get an A+.
LOL – my first A+ every for a subject related to geometry Sharon!
vuv
I like how you used the Shanghai skyline for this challenge!
Thanks very much Chava – I thought it was one of the most beautiful I’d ever seen really. We were fortunate to have clear skies that day.
You have so many great examples here I can’t pick a favorite. I love all the vibrant colors.
Thanks Beth – thought I’d step outside the geometric box on this one 😊
Amazing post Tina! Not only are the images great, I learned a lot too. Thanks for all the effort you put into this post.
Many thanks Anne – must admit had to work a bit more than usual on this one LOL!
You’ve covered all the bases here Tin – what a fabulously eclectic collection!
Many thanks Margaret – it was a very interesting challenge for me. I think I learned more about geometry while researching for the challenge than I did in my high school class!!
I long to capture bubbles on a clear blue sky day but somehow, or unfortunately, I’m still haven’t. Bummer for me 😦
But your bubbling photo had re-initiated that urge once again, so I will try it 🙂
Rest of the geometrical shapes are also amazing, Tina 🙂
Thanks very much Hammad. The bubbles came from a bubble machine, which I’ll admit I’d never heard of before a few weeks ago!
Hahaha!
Well this is a new one on me… viewing these wonderful images thru the lens of geometry ( a subject they gave me a token “D” in ). …. last week with the grandchildren I had my bubble machine going… magnificent images! Even more intriguing now! Thanks T
Hah! I got the bubbles from a bubble machine when I shot our friends’ wedding recently Ms. Linda. They are SO fun!! As for geometry grades, I was in the same boat I’m afraid GF!
Great examples of geometry in nature and in art! That’s a great skyline image, but those sunflowers are near and dear to this North Dakotan’s heart.
And to my heart as well John – thanks!
I love the skyline of Shanghai! Hope to see it in person someday. Also the colors in the Chihuly art are amazing.
Thanks Pam – we were together for that Chihuly exhibit – a fond memory! As for Shanghai, it was truly amazing. We were very fortunate to get clear weather. A week later a friend sent me a shot in which you literally couldn’t see a single building because of the air quality.
Tina – fascinating info, in addition to some great shots! Love the opportunity to learn something new every day! K
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Thanks Kath! Glad you enjoyed this one. I know I learned a few things putting it together 😊
As usual, Tina, you come up with fascinating examples. To me, the spider web is one of the most incredible creations…
Thanks Laurel. As I was putting this one together it seemed the webs were included everywhere as a perfect example of geometry. Who knew?!