signed
[1996]
by Gorey, Edward
[1996]. Watercolor and ink on paper. First two images approximately 3 1/3 x 7 2/3 inches, sheets 5 x 10 inches; third image approximately 2 1/4 x 6 3/4 inches, sheet 4 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches. Traces of graphite guide lines; graphite inscriptions, L and R, on first and second sheets, respectively.
Colored illustrations for Peter L. Bernsteins article, "The New Religion of Risk Management," in the March-April 1996 issue of HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW. The first two images show Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat bearing lighted torches, as figures of "old religion" walk off into the night. The third shows the same Enlightenment thinkers behind three painted wheels inscribed with "3," "7," and "9." Responding to a question of how fairly to divide money wagered on an interrupted game of dice, Pascal and Fermat together solved an old mathematical puzzle, laying the foundation of probability theory. But today, Bernstein asks, "Have we replaced old-world superstitions with a dangerous reliance on numbers?" (Inventory #: 940)
Colored illustrations for Peter L. Bernsteins article, "The New Religion of Risk Management," in the March-April 1996 issue of HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW. The first two images show Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat bearing lighted torches, as figures of "old religion" walk off into the night. The third shows the same Enlightenment thinkers behind three painted wheels inscribed with "3," "7," and "9." Responding to a question of how fairly to divide money wagered on an interrupted game of dice, Pascal and Fermat together solved an old mathematical puzzle, laying the foundation of probability theory. But today, Bernstein asks, "Have we replaced old-world superstitions with a dangerous reliance on numbers?" (Inventory #: 940)