In its 76 years of institutional life, the Universidad Industrial de Santander treasures a cultural and historical heritage of great value. This heritage, which includes symbolic, artistic, scientific and other aspects, is part of our identity and deserves to be known, transmitted and preserved. For this reason, the UIS has begun publishing the series Vive el Patrimonio UIS, short audiovisual capsules focusing on works of movable cultural heritage on the University’s campuses, initially at the main campus. The first of these is the Geometry
Geometry Lesson: A Tribute to Art and Education
At the entrance to the central campus of the Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS) stands an imposing sculpture that welcomes all who cross its doors. It is the Geometry Lesson, a monumental work created by the master Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar, an outstanding Colombian artist, born in Pamplona, Norte de Santander. This rusted iron sculpture, seven meters high and weighing thirty tons, is more than an artistic piece: it is a tribute to the students of the UIS.
The work stands out both for its grandeur and for the simplicity offered by its material, iron, intentionally left outdoors to be transformed by time. The rust that covers its surface not only accentuates its raw and essential character; but also gives it a sense of perpetual transformation, reminding us that art and knowledge are constantly evolving.
The artist, born in 1922 and died in 2004, is remembered as an outstanding representative of abstract and monumental art, in addition to being a winner of the National Artists’ Salon. He always mentioned his desire to capture this work on the university campus, says Miguel Ángel Núñez, a connoisseur of the work and witness of its gestation and installation process. “Ramírez Villamizar wanted the work, Lección de Geometría, to be located in that space. Yes, and for it to be a work that people, students and people entering the University could interact with; that is why it is located in that space,” adds Núñez.
Likewise, the location of the sculpture at the UIS symbolizes the crossroads between knowledge and art. Students who pass daily along this route are greeted by a work that is not only a testimony of human creativity, but also an invitation to reflect on space, form and the function of art in everyday life.
The work presents a series of geometric shapes that seem to emerge from one another, with a circle appearing to have broken out of a square frame, suggesting a dynamic of continuity and growth. For some, these forms evoke the mathematical and geometric principles that underlie education, while for others they are a manifestation of the minimalism that Ramírez Villamizar explored throughout his career. In any case, the work offers multiple readings, becoming a space of contemplation and inspiration for those who observe it, and of interaction for those who approach it or pass by it.
