Artists on the Recorde at Tenby Museum and Art Gallery (From Western Telegraph)

Artists on the Recorde at Tenby Museum and Art Gallery

9:30am Sunday 29th August 2010 in

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A mathematical symbol may not strike many people as an inspiring subject, but it provides the basis for a stunning and thought-provoking exhibition held this month at Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.

More than 50 Pembrokeshire artists have interpreted the life and work of Tenby polymath Robert Recorde as part of the town’s celebrations of the 500th anniversary of his birth.

The Tenby-born physician, mathematician and Renaissance scholar is credited with creating the equals sign, introducing algebra to Britain, and developing the square root.

The exhibition makes for a rich blend of media and style, with many of the 53 artists stepping outside their usual genre and subject matter.

Many pieces are centered around the birth of the equals sign while others explore positive and negative space, infinity, perspective and fractal forms.

The exhibition was opened by Tenby born actor Josh Richards, who famously starred alongside Brad Pitt in Troy.

“I really love the stuff here, and I hope you will love it as much,” he said.

The museum hopes that this summer’s celebrations will help bring Recorde’s name right up there with the greats of British invention.

“He was an interesting character, skilled in languages, law, astronomy and music, as well as mathematics; yet he is under-rated as far as public knowledge is concerned,” said honorary librarian, Sue Baldwin, who has been researching the scholar’s life and times.

“He had a huge influence on how we think of mathematics in this country, as he was the first to write his books in English instead of Latin, which meant they were accessible to all.”

2010-1510 = Robert Recorde can be seen daily from between 10am and 5pm until Sunday September 5th becky.hotchin@ westerntelegraph.co.uk