Golden Section

   

Allyson Merritt  

 

The Golden Section is… 

A mathematical proportion

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When present, it produces harmonious relationships

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1.6180339…

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Ф (phi)  

 

History 

The ratio is present in the Great Pyramids

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Formally defined by the Greeks  

 

 

Euclid of Alexandria around 300 B.C Fibonacci Series Progression 1,1,2,3,5,8,13…

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Influenced Renaissance architecture/art

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Also found throughout nature

The Golden Rectangle 

“A rectangle whose sides are proportioned according to the Golden Section is known as a Golden Rectangle.” Ching, p303 Architecture: Form, Space and Order

 

 

Constructing a Golden Rectangle

 

 

Found in Nature

 

 

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Mollusk Shells

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Tree Growth

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Apple Seeds

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Human Body

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Rose Petals

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Mating Rabbits

Implemented in Art/Architecture 

 

 

Parthenon in Athens 

Ф named after Phidias

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Human proportions were believed to be of a higher universal order.

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Dali’s “Sacrament of the Last Supper”

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The Mona Lisa

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Tomb of Petosiris 

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St. Peter’s in Rome

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World Museum by Le Corbusier

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UN Building

Aesthetics 

Aesthetics of the ratio were not documented until the Renaissance

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Euclid defined it in geometric terms but the ratio is a combination of both mathematical and everyday interpretations of proportion

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Significant to many concentrations such as physiology, botany, astronomy, mathematics, art, architecture and others.

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Up to the designer when this pleasing proportion is best utilized to create harmonious relationships within their spaces.

 

 

   

Allyson Merritt