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Altar of Apollo, by Andrew Kosorok
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| Title | Altar of Apollo, by Andrew Kosorok |
| Artist | Kosorok, Andrew |
| Description | Legend reports that in BC 430, Delphi—home to Apollo's Oracle—was threatened by a devastating plague. The people pled with the Oracle to tell them how to resist it, and she told them that the plague could be avoided if Apollo's altar, a perfect cube of stone, was enlarged to exactly double its volume. Perhaps because of panic, pride, and an inability think creatively at such a frightening time, the new altar was never built, and the plague decimated the population. This challenge of the Oracle, the duplication of the cube, has become one of the math riddles that has spurred countless generations of thinkers to new levels of original thought, and provided a measure of the impetus leading to the discovery of calculus. This work references the efforts, among others, of the Roman architect Vitruvius and the genius Leonardo da Vinci, to solve the mystery; cube faces of ascending size each signify a doubled volume, and the sphere within the cube is half the volume of the cube itself. The story serves as a reminder that when minds are clouded by fear, little can be done; but when we allow ourselves to see the beauty inherent in form and ratio, we can produce marvelous things. |
| Medium | Etched and fused glass, 15" cube |
| About the Artist | Andrew Kosorok has been working with traditional Western stained glass window assembly for over twenty years. With his experience in nontraditional and historical techniques, he consults on unique restoration projects as well as large scale commercial installations. His academic background includes engineering, watercolor, sculpture, with an emphasis in Sculptural Stained Glass, and Comparative Humanities and Philosophy. He has taught classes in drawing and sculpture at BYU, as well as traditional stained glass window assembly, fusing techniques, and glass painting. He received praise from the Mevlevi Sufi Order for the Islamic-themed works in his one-person 2008 show, "The Windows of Dzyan." |
| Date | DateofExhibition:March3-30,2009 |
| Contributors | Van Wagoner, Kathryn, exhibit curator; |
| Subject | Engraved glass; Glass sculpture; |
| Type | Image;Stillimage |
| Format | image/jpg |
| Relation (isPartOf) | Infinite Beauty: An Art Exhibit Inspired by Mathematics. Held March 3 - 30, 2009 Utah Valley University Library |
| Rights | All rights held by artist. |
| Publisher | Published digitally by Utah Valley University Library |
| Identifier | Altar of Apollo |
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