Dan Gerhart named this work – a series of interior wall pieces and an outdoor sculpture along the Jordan River Parkway – after the Greek philosopher, Pythagoras. With the design based on the mathematical laws inherent in the circle, square, and triangle, the artwork relates visually to the shield or badge that identifies police officers and philosophically to the Police Department’s work to maintain order in our community.

The mathematical theories of Pythagoras were one source of inspiration for Gerhart, as were a number of other systems of the natural order and its relationship to societal order. The Mayan calendar, based on the mathematical symmetries and the basic shapes of triangles, circles and squares, provided a foundation for the development of Gerhart’s work. Many cultures share a common language of these basic shapes, with the circle often the universal symbol for harmony and order.

The indoor works – “The Triangle,” “The Circle,” “The Square,” and “Theorem” – are fabricated of bronze cast by the artist in the lost-wax technique and a variety of wood veneers. The outdoor work, “The Sphere,” is fabricated of cast bronze and polished stainless steel. Shawn Porter assisted Dan Gerhart in the fabrication and installation of the work; Larry Wheeler fabricated the stainless steel elements of the outdoor work.