Art

More About The Golden Ratio

The Vitruvian Man is a drawing created by Leonardo da Vinci circa 1490. It is accompanied by notes based on the work of the architect Vitruvius. The drawing, which is in pen and ink on paper, depicts a male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and simultaneously inscribed in a circle and square. The drawing and text are sometimes called the Canon of Proportions or, less often, Proportions of Man (Wikipedia).

vitruvian-man

Golden Ratio and Art This drawing is based on the correlations of ideal human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise De Architectura. Vitruvius described the human figure as being the principal source of proportion among the Classical orders of architecture. Vitruvius determined that the ideal body should be eight heads high. Leonardo’s drawing is traditionally named in honor of the architect. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man (Wikipedia)

The human body: The measurement of the human navel to the floor and the top of the head to the navel represents the Golden ratio.

In a previous post, “The Golden Ratio In Nature“ I pointed out how this ratio appears in many forms of nature and of science.

August 23, 2016 5 comments

Art

The Golden Ratio in Art and Architecture

Many buildings and artworks reflect the Golden Ratio: the Parthenon in Greece, and many other classical buildings in Europe. But it is not really known if it was designed that way. Some artists and architects believe the Golden Ratio makes the most pleasing and beautiful shapes.

There is a mathematical ratio commonly found in nature—the ratio of 1 to 1.618—that has many names. Most often we call it the Golden Section, Golden Ratio, or Golden Mean, but it’s also occasionally referred to as the Golden Number, Divine Proportion, Golden Proportion, Fibonacci Number, and Phi. Now, a Duke University engineer has found the Golden Ratio to be a compelling springboard to unify vision, thought and movement under a single law of nature’s design.

August 22, 2016 0 comment

Art Australia Nature

Dolphins at Tamarama

If any creative person deserves to be discovered it is Paul Atroshenko: Artist, Photographer, Video Maker. Have a look at his website displaying his eclectic works of art, including symbolist paintings, and his excellent travel photography. He has also created amazing videos of walks around Sydney. And check out this recent one of dolphins playing in the waves to classical music at Tamarama Beach! The Sydney Morning Herald has placed it on their website.

And don’t forget to visit the 2014 sculptures by the sea from Bondi to Tamarama!

October 24, 2014 0 comment

Art Australia

A Sydney Icon or Two

Since living on the north side of the Harbour for the past two years, I’ve come to appreciate the tranquillity and beauty of the Harbour views from our balcony, which we exchanged for the beach. Another positive aspect of living on the north shore is being close to the North Sydney Swimming Pool. It was built in 1938, five years after the construction of the Bridge, and three years after the opening of Luna Park. Situated between the monolithic grandeur of the Bridge to the east, and Luna Park with its playfulness to the west, it has borrowed some of the features of these two icons in its architecture. The graded arches on the facade mimic those of the Bridge, and it has picked up the “funny” features of Luna Park–with its famous face and Chrysler Building towers–and in its art deco details of frogs, a seagull and a lizard.

North Sydney Pool and the Bridge Towering Above

In its heyday in the 1950s to the 1970s, many famous Olympic swimmers trained here. There’s a hall of fame with names such as Lorraine Crapp, Dawn Frazer, John and Ilsa Konrads, and Shane Gould enshrined there. It was on or near this site, too, that the Australian Crawl was first developed in the harbourside Lavender Bay pool.

The Entrance to the Pool has been preserved

This is heated all year round and is used for aquaerobics and learn to swim school

The Pool was designed in an art deco style that can be defined as “stripped classical”.

The Art Deco Frogs at the Entrance to the Poo

A Mixture of Styles: From Art Deco t oModern

Conserved from the Original Art Deco Era

The original indigenous inhabitants of this land, the Cammeraygal, were described as a very powerful people. They used to paddle across the Harbour to the present-day site of Farm Cove to perform initiation ceremonies. One of these was recorded to have occurred in 1795. The Cammeraygal survived the worst effects of the disease that wiped out a lot of the indigenous population in 1789. However, by 1800 traditional social structures had been profoundly changed by colonisation.

January 24, 2013 0 comment

Art Emotions and Health

Ave Maria

“Ave Maria” was one of my mother’s favourite song. Although she’d been brought up in a Catholic school and had an Irish Catholic father, she was not religious. However, she had a good voice–a soprano’s voice–and she was capable of dissolving in tears when she heard a certain song. One of these that I remember causing this effect was “The Wind beneath your Wings” sung by Barbra Streisand.

I love this hymn sung by Nelson Eddy. The shots of the Vatican and the Michaelangelo statue “La Pieta” provide such a beautiful background for it. There’s something about this song that touches me deeply. Perhaps I’m my mother’s daughter, after all. Only thing is, I couldn’t sing like her.

The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria (Latin) is a traditional Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary. It was made famous and popular when set to music by Bach, and also Schubert.

The following is taken from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Mary#Latin_version)

The prayer incorporates two passages from Saint Luke’s Gospel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” and “Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. In mid-13th-century Western Europe the prayer consisted only of these words with the single addition of the name “Mary” after the word “Hail,” as is evident from the commentary of Saint Thomas Aquinas on the prayer.

The first of the two passages from Saint Luke’s Gospel is the greeting of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, originally written in Koine Greek. The opening word of greeting, χαῖρε, chaire, here translated “Hail,” literally has the meaning “rejoice” or “be glad.” This was the normal greeting in the language in which Saint Luke’s Gospel is written and continues to be used in the same sense in Modern Greek. Accordingly, both “Hail” and “Rejoice” are valid English translations of the word (“Hail” reflecting the Latin translation, and “Rejoice” reflecting the original Greek).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5cF5GGqVWo&w=420&h=315]

Which version do you prefer?

Ave Maria (poodyheads.wordpress.com)
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! (hymn) (prayers4reparation.wordpress.com)

January 22, 2013 0 comment

Art

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPvAQxZsgpQ&w=420&h=315]

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