BSJ

The Butler Scholarly Journal

Category: Art

  1. Art as an investment and other thoughts

    Attending the Butler Scholarly Journal Discussion Forum on the use of public art in universities was a provocative and invigorating experience which, it seems safe to say, certainly challenged some of the opinions originally held by a good number of those in attendance. I went to the event expecting, perhaps, to listen to a number of somewhat defensive talks intended to justify Durham University’s recent hotly contested £1.4 million spend on purchasing and installing works of art as part of the Gateway Development programme. However, the talks given by Durham University’s Dr Hazel Donkin (Department of Education) and Alan O’Cain…

  2. Is science an art?

    After attending the seminar on ‘art in Universities’ I found several points very interesting. The main topic that I would like to discuss is the question as whether science is an art. As a Natural Science student studying Physics and Earth Sciences I am quite opinionated on this issue.  Obviously, this is a very controversial issue with no real right answer; however, I would like to argue the point that the arts and sciences are different topics by their definition. A very good point was made by a mathematician that maths is very linked to the arts. Many mathematical concepts…

  3. Art and Mathematics

    The link between mathematics and art can be divided into two sections: mathematics in art and art in mathematics.  It is surprising how linked these two apparently distinct disciplines are. Firstly, let’s examine mathematics in art.  This section can be further subdivided into the use of mathematics to create art and the presentation of mathematics in art. We will look at the former first. Mathematics appears in art from all periods. Take the Pyramids of ancient Egypt; by examining the proportions of the pyramids, one can find a golden ratio present.  The golden ratio (approximately 1.618) appears in many unexpected…

  4. Fenwick Lawson’s ‘Cry for Justice- The Scream’

    Emma Crosby Both speakers discussed Fenwick Lawson’s ‘Cry for Justice – The Scream’ sculpture, which sits between the Bill Bryson library and the Geography department. Prior to the speaker’s talks, I was far for the sculptures biggest fan. Although I was vaguely aware of its connections to the Vietnam War I felt that, due to the lack of information provided about the sculpture, it could easily be misinterpreted. I also felt that it was in an odd position in the University, as quite frankly the last thing a student wants to see after a long day in the library is…