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Kirsten Garstad
THE GOLDEN MEAN or
"GOLDEN SECTION"
By
'Golden Mean' is merely a
mathematical ratio usually discerned by the painter
as the ratio of the
larger side of a rectangle as it relates to the shorter.
Derived by the
ancient Greeks it can be constructed geometrically or expressed as
a
simple ratio, namely 1:1618... Like "pi", the number 1.618...
is an irrational number.
Both the ancient Greeks and the ancient
Egyptians used the Golden Mean when designing their
buildings and
monuments. The builders of "Paestum" used the Golden Mean in their
temples.
Artists as diverse as Leonardo da Vinci and George Seurat used
the ratio when constructing their paintings.
Leonardo
da Vinci, drawing with the aspect ratio: 1 to 1.618
In classical
architecture it was thought this particular ratio was the most pleasing
to the eye and its extrapolation into a spiral could be found replicated
in nature
in such diverse things as pine cones and sea shells or the
curve of a fern.
I see no particular theological significance in the golden mean,
nor do
I slavishly design my paintings or canvases to follow its geometry.
Well that noted then how
is this 'golden mean' found using a ruler and a compass?
Webmasters remarks
Nothing to it... Try a right-click on the picture below, look for
properties and you will find it
also has anaspect ratio of 1 to 1.618 - (340 x 550 pixels) -
and so does many of
my photos on this site.
Golden
Mean Format:
1 - 1.618
I also use the new format 16:9 with a ratio of 1 to 1.777 that
complies well
with
the window on the
Internet browser, and the new television format
16
: 9 - The new TV-format (1 : 1,77)
If you want to learn more about painting - try click on John Hagan's
brush.
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