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Monday Morning Art School: the golden rectangle and other design ideas

Dawn along Upper Red Rock Loop Road, Sedona, 20X24 oil on canvas, $2318 unframed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

ā€œWhy do odd numbers of objects in a composition look more ā€˜interestingā€™ than even numbers,ā€ my correspondent asked.

ā€œThe explanation Iā€™ve heard is that the brain wants to create symmetry, and when unable to do so because there are an odd number of objects, the gaze just continues to move around the composition.  I briefly worked on a sheep farm, and ewes who had three lambs always seemed confused, like they were counting ā€˜oneā€¦ twoā€¦ wait a minute! Let me count again!ā€™ā€

Carrie, even with twins I was confused most of the time. Sheep, like humans, have only two teats, but no opposable thumbs, and theyā€™re kind of dumb. But back to your question:

ā€œIs a desire for symmetry really hardwired into our brains? Or is this a cultural preference? Or a myth? If our brains want symmetry, then why not give it to them and make symmetrical art? Do people actually look at paintings of odd numbers of objects longer? Do they like them better?ā€

The short answer is that the brain seems hardwired to like complicated visual relationships.

Home Farm, 20X24, oil on canvas, $2898 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

The Golden Rectangle, the granddaddy of all design ideas

That need for visual mystery is the basis for the Golden Rectangle. It resolves to 1.618:1, which is a ratio none of us can parse. Yet it looks pleasing. Thatā€™s because it derives from the Golden Spiral and the Fibonacci Sequence, with their perfect squares.

By HB – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=114843794

The Golden Rectangle is the first ā€˜absoluteā€™ design model I ever learned. It has been used since at least the ancient Greeks. However, it doesnā€™t match up with the aspect ratio of modern canvases, frames and cameras, so we donā€™t hear about it as much anymore.

The rule of thirds

The rule of thirds never meant that you should have three objects. It divides an image into nine equal parts using two horizontal and two vertical lines. The most important elements of the image are placed along the lines or their intersections. That creates points of interest that are evenly spaced and aesthetically pleasing

It works, of course, but it is by no means the most interesting compositional grid. 1/3, although a repeating decimal, isnā€™t all that difficult for the brain to parse.

Camden Harbor from Curtis Island, oil on canvas, $2782 unframed includes shipping and handling in continental United States.

Is symmetry always bad?

Whenever someone tells me you should never put something smack dab in the middle of their canvas, I direct them to the Mask of Tutankhamun. Itā€™s powerful, stately and grand. Thatā€™s why Renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci used symmetry to such good effect. Itā€™s less popular today, perhaps because we donā€™t believe in absolutes truth much anymore.

Dynamic Symmetry

Jay Hambidge hoped to capitalize on the brainā€™s love of inscrutable proportion when he devised his theory of dynamic symmetry back in the 1920s. Itā€™s since been discredited, but pops back up with dismaying regularity.

I learned it from the painter Steven Assael and fiddled with it for several years. In the end, what it taught me was not to put focal points at the edge of my canvas, which Iā€™m telling you here, for free.

Home Port, 18X24,, $2318 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

The circle

The circle is balanced in every direction. If symmetry were boring, a circle would be the last word in dullness. Instead, itā€™s fascinated us from da Vinciā€™s Vitruvian Man to now.

Besides being a model of human proportion, Vitruvian Man is a nod to an ancient math problem called squaring the circle. That was the challenge of constructing aĀ squareĀ with theĀ area of a given circleĀ using geometry.Ā 

Ultimately it proved impossible. Thatā€™s because of our old high school buddy, Ļ€. Ļ€ is whatā€™s called a transcendental number, which just means itā€™s non-algebraic and goes on and on without ever repeating. Circles interest us precisely because they canā€™t be pushed into a square hole (and vice-versa).

Reserve your spot now for a workshop in 2025:

7 Replies to “Monday Morning Art School: the golden rectangle and other design ideas”

  1. I love your Monday morning art classes, Carol, however, I am not a painter, and I wish there were similar classes for photographers. Though much of what you write about applies to photography.
    Cheers
    Bill

    1. I wish I could help you out, but I’m unqualified. My cousin Antony once entered a photo I took of his cows into a fair near his house (near Tallarook, VIC maybe? It’s been so many years) and I won. That is the sum total of my competitive photography experience.

  2. Hi Carol,
    I had some trouble with my emails and just found this. I had several Dr appts on Mondays this month.
    I will join the next class.

    1. Iā€™m so confused this look like other artists and that I had to travel to do this.
      Iā€™m looking for Zoom classes because Iā€™m in Florida.
      Am I missing something?
      Iā€™m sorry that youā€™re not feeling well. Thatā€™s terrible.!

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