Golden Section discussion becomes an Art & Science discussion

[Elizabeth Schott]

I tried to apply this today. I did it two ways in my "value" sketch phase.

Karin's way, was easier, but the interest point was very low - funny it ended up being just about the perfect spot though.

By way of the site, I searched the house to find a compass but someone made off with my circle templates; after laboring, the size wasn't going to work. But wow, it is a different way of looking at things. I am surprised in my photography classes this wasn't taught since we spent so much time on Gestalt Psych.

[Mari DeRuntz]

Hi Elizabeth,

You don't need a compass. Tie a string around your pencil, hold the other end steady, and you can scribe a circle. You're looking for the intersecting lines of the circles drawn, and this method will be quite accurate.

[Elizabeth Schott]

Mari,

Not to sound too lame, but do you do it to size or a smaller scale on your sketches? It seems that in the Golden Rectangle, the movement would start at the top left and sway down and up. Do you find this translates into your work? Any samples you could share with me? Thanks.

[Mari DeRuntz]

Movement can originate from any of the four corners of the canvas; in Western art, paintings generally read from left to right, just as we read a book.

There are two very interesting ways to look at the

[Cynthia Daniel]

I was blessed with a great Harvard-educated writing teacher in high school who pretty cleanly stated the case that math and science are in fact just different ways of discussing art, our perception of the real world.

Mari, I found this statement particularly interesting. It rings a bell of something I read long ago and perhaps you, or someone else, can fill in details because my memory has faded. It was along the lines that in the past (I'm not sure how distant), learning was not as segregated as it is now and therefore the student gained a more holistic view of the world and education, and was aware of such things that math and art are different ways of expressing the same thing.

I'd be interested in more information on this subject, how it was in those earlier times and how, why, when it changed.

I suppose this could start to majorly veer off the main subject of this thread, or perhaps it will only be a slight meandering. But, I had to ask.

[Michele Rushworth]

I imagine this wholistic way of learning began (and maybe ended?) in the Renaissance -- hence the term Renaissance Man, used to describe someone who is learned in a wide range of fields.

This is why Leondardo da Vinci became who he was, I guess. He was as learned in the arts as he was in the sciences.

Too bad organized education doesn't still teach that way. I had a difficult time as a high school senior choosing whether to pursue a science major or an art major in college. It would have been nice to study both. (I chose art but for fun I have been known to read books on nuclear physics -- no kidding!)

[Cynthia Daniel]

Michele,

What you say makes sense. I consider myself to be artistic even though I'm not a painter. I could have easily been an interior designer, for example. I love working with color and form. However, I have books on quantum physics and it's one of my favorite subjects.

[Michele Rushworth]

Cynthia, I'll be in Florida in February. We really should meet and talk about portraits and protons over coffee sometime!

[Jeanine Jackson]

The art in science and the science in art is very interesting to me.

After a fine arts "major" in high school, I put my brushes on a shelf and obtained undergraduate degrees in Philosophy and General Science. It was during that time I developed a poetic love for science. "Differential Equations" was one of my electives, as I learned about the the universal language of mathematics and the sheer wonder of nature.

I went on to study medicine at the University of Florence, Italy. I did a number of years there leading toward Pediatric Cardiac Surgery. As my career progressed, I became progressivey more isolated and unhappy. I dropped out prior to taking the Hippocratic oath.

Feeling rather guilty about leaving med school after all those years of study, I attended a special exhibit of DaVinci notebooks (on loan from the National Gallery of London) at the Palazzo Vecchio in 1984. I really went to make my apologies to my idol, Leonardo.

A tour guide was telling a small group about Leonardo and his passion for both science and art. I listened in as she explained that he would frequently flip from one job to another - from engineering to scuplture, mathematics to painting - often to the dismay of his patrons who would be stuck with incomplete work!

I felt deeply and profoundly understood.

My teacher now, George Passantino, warns against over-analyzing. He likes to quote Sorolla who said something like "If I can't paint fast, I don't paint!"

Still, the underpinnings of beauty can be analyzed. I like to call my methodology "Alla prima dopo" which translates into "At first after" or, for me, "Spontaneous brushwork after careful design."

Thanks to you - the designers and members of this forum - I feel understood once again!

[Michele Rushworth]

"Spontaneous brushwork after careful design." That's the best description of what I'd like to aim for in my work, too. Well put!

I suppose that's also what Sargent was doing when he would hold his brush motionless in the air for a very long time -- and then paint with great energy.