What is art? Well, everyone asked this question would have a different answer, because we all have different likes and dislikes. Each and every culture in the world evaluates art and how it relates aesthetically to their surroundings and/or beliefs. Aesthetic understanding of an artwork is the combination of the ability to see, interpret, and evaluate it. Therefore, one person might have a different viewpoint of an artwork than someone from another culture.

In history, the Greeks were believed to be the supreme culture. However, William M. Ivins, Jr. studied the art of the Greeks and also their geometry. In his book, "Art and Geometry: A Study in Spatial Intuitions," Ivins creates a controversial study to the above myth. According to Ivins, the Greeks were "tactile minded," meaning that they created works of art that were perceived through the sense of touch. The Greeks "tactile" world view is visible in their art by the lack of motion, emotional and spiritual qualities.

Ivins goes on to say that the Greeks form of art was the result of not completely understanding the laws of perspective. So, what is meant by "the laws of perspective?" Well, to put it simply, it means the proper technique for representing a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface.

Artists of the Renaissance period were the first to be successful in perspective. In 1636, a man named Girard Desargues introduced his "perspective ladder." This was used by artists as a tool for bringing perspective to their work.

Just as the Greeks based their art on tactile qualities, they didn't stray far from this way of thought in their geometry. They believed that parallel lines stay parallel forever. So their lack of modern thought for geometrical continuity and perspective left the Greeks at a disadvantage in the mathematical field. Geometry progressed through time to involve perspective geometry. Following is an example of a line-divider. This helps bring perspective to line designs and optical art, which utilizes geometry.

Today, artists often use geometrical elements such as lines, angles, and shapes to create a theme throughout their artwork. Also, artists started using these geometrical elements as a way to create the illusion of the third dimension. This art is known as Optical or Op Art. The following is an example of optical art.

 Students should start out their study of optical art, by creating line designs and working with symmetry. See example of line designs below. Then students can apply the concept of shading to their designs to create a sense of perspective. Students will be building their spatial intelligence for understanding advanced mathematics.