Golden Ratio in Art

[juliart]

https://usaartnews.com/news/golden-ratio-in-art

 

[Marc]

Mistitled for the greater part. This is mostly 'Rule of Thirds'. The application of which seems a little vague to some of the paintings. These could easily be rule of quarters. Quarter lines in vivid green.

 

[Hermes2020]

Thank you for starting this interesting topic! Sorry to my usual wise-ass self, but the Caravaggio, Dali, and Basquiat examples given in that USA Art News article are misleading, because they illustrate the use of the Rule of Thirds, not the Golden Ratio. The Golden Ratio is actually 1:1.618. The number has more digits, but we don't need more figures in art. A good example of its use is in the National Geographic logo, which is a golden rectangle with sides in the ratio of 1 to 1.618:

https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/process/wireframing/wireframing-how-why-golden-ratio-ux-design/

Here is another link to a good explanation of the Golden Ratio:

https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/golden-ratio-designers/

Both ratios have been useful rules of thumb for thousands of years, but in art rules are made to be broken, so I don't think we should apply them too slavishly. If it looks right, it is right!

 

[Marc]

Both ratios have been useful rules of thumb for thousands of years, but in art rules are made to be broken, so I don't think we should apply them too slavishly. If it looks right, it is right!

Or as I like to say; The Golden Ratio is a good servant, but a poor master.

 

[Artyczar]

I never quite understood either "rule" as something to abide by. Is it for compositions? I always go by instinct.

 

[Marc]

Yes, it should be called 'method of thirds'.

Here's a window into my mind. Regarding the Dali, elephants with super long thin legs, that's fine, but horse shoes on backwards? I'm not having it.

 

[E.J.H.]

I don't really believe in the alledgedly widespread use of the golden ratio throughout art history. It is very easy to kinda "shoehorn" this ratio on any image with the cunning use of approximation and wishfull thinking.... I've seen this done in documentaries on the golden ratio.
(I am not saying it wasn't used at all btw)