Examples of Images of Circles in Fine Arts Circle is a favorite shape of both, mathematicians and contemporary artists. Artworks with circular shapes are found in abundance in art museums all around the world. Here we list just few examples. A collection of math problems related to this famous shape can be found in Chapter 5 of this book.
Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art in Manhattan, KS (online catalogue)
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Orval F. Hempler (United States, 1915-1994)
Title unknown
Glazed earthenware
Object number: 1994.23
Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, KS (online catalogue)
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City (online catalogue)
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Jeanne Miles (American, born 1908)
Circle, Square, and Triangle( 1987)
Object number: F93-29/26
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Richard Long
Mesa Circle, New Mexico (1995)
Object number: 2013.17.17 -
Alexander Liberman (1911-1999)
Rotating (1983)
Object number: 2004.25.2 -
László Moholy-Nagy (American, born Hungary, 1895 - 1946)
Composition with Circle (1921)
Object number: 2005.27.2792
World collections
- A circle is a perfect shape to experiment with different color schemes. Famous examples include Color Studies: Squares and Concentric Circles (1913) by Wassily Kandinsky in the collection of Lenbachhaus, Munich (Germany) and many paintings of Sonia Delaunay and Robert Delaunay. Search for the samples of their work e.g. in online catalogue of Centre Pompidou (France).
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A circle is an attractive shape for land artists and artists working
with natural materials:
Andy Goldsworthy (digital online catalog),
Richard Long (official website),
Sadashi Inuzuka (official website). -
As a purely geometric figure, a circle plays an important role in
conceptual art. We mention only
Kasimir Malevich (Black Circle in the collection of Russian Museum in St.Petersburg (Russia)).
Kenneth Noland (official website).
Sol LeWitt,
Ellsworth Kelly. - And last but not least: for centuries rotational symmetry of circles was exploited in decorative arts (jewelry, decorative ceramics, designs of rose windows of Gothic cathedrals, etc).