Friday, March 11, 2011

The Fibonacci Sequence and The Golden Mean : Golden Ratio in Art & Architecture



      • The Fibonacci Sequence and The Golden Mean : Golden Ratio in Art & Architecture... What is the connection?? My discovery...

        I am a huge Fringe fan, which explains Fringe science... if you have not seen it and are into SciFi shows, it is well done and keeps the mind open to new possibilities. Anyhow, my curiosity runs a bit deep and thought you may be interested in learning about this interesting connection with math, science, and art. 

        In one of the episodes of Fringe, Dr. Walter Bishop hid the clues to something terribly important. The clues, and solution which was later discovered, as a sequence of numbers that was identified as being the 'Fibonacci Sequence.'

        I do not recall ever learning about this in math in high school, nor in college! I certainly wish that I had. It truly explains my fascination with geometry ;) But, by learning about this as a more mature person, it sparked an interest in me... that eventually answered many of my questions about the relationships with the talents of people who are knowledgeable and gifted in certain subjects.

        I work with accountants by day, or, as you may relate, my 'real' job. However, I hardly have the gift for numbers!! Interestingly, in college, I surprised myself one day in my statistics class when I worked out a problem during a test... the LONG way (no calculator). I understood how to get to the solution since I bought a new calculator and didn't know how to use the 3rd function on it to get to what I needed for my class. Voila! I came up with the solution on pressure and it was such a wonderful feeling (there is hope yet!).

        Anyhow, my point is that I have learned that many people who are gifted with numbers are excellent musicians. I would have never guessed it! But, in fact, the more I learn, the more I find out that this is so. Long story short (maybe not so short!! hehe), I was fascinated to learn (once I searched what I can find on the Internet) that The Fibonacci sequence and the golden mean DO have a relationship! Numbers, proportions, science, and the arts are all connected via this particular balance or harmony of numbers.

        Interestingly, I had always 'felt' or just 'known' the balance when I create. When I took fine art classes, I continued drawing, or coloring, or painting, until it felt 'right.' This 'feeling' I eventually incorporated with my photography... naturally.

        Although I had received many compliments on my artistic photography, it was not until a photography instructor saw my work and exclaimed, "your rule of thirds and your S lines are incredible!!" I had only taken a black and white photography class in high school which concentrated more on the development of film, so I honestly had no clue what he was talking about, yet I somehow have mastered it! Huge bonus!! :) So this instructor (salesman for computers at Circuit City) told me that it is difficult to teach this process of the rule of thirds to students, and he was surprised that I never studied it. This was fantastic news for me. 

        So, when I actually took a digital photography course, I did learn about the rule of thirds... and many other composition techniques, and it was elementary for me since this is what I have been practicing all along (yes, those art courses did pay off!). I had also learned things on my own by observing, since I am a very visual learner. I pay attention to the lighting in movies and different perspectives and techniques and try to make my photography simple, with the right harmony to 'feel good.'

        In my digital photography course, I noticed that emphasis was placed more on the result than actually learning how to use the camera! I was frustrated when I received the answer, "you will just need to experiment." Well, I am still learning to 'experiment' and in this discovery, it helps me NOT to have formal training... since I can create with my own techniques without feeling guilty that I did not partake in some 'rule' of photography!! I like being 'freestyle.'

        I have had much joy in sharing my 'learning' and 'experimenting' process with others. I eventually would like to have my 'art' printed on actual canvas and sell it on a large scale. For now, I continue to 'feel' my photography and I am so interested to learn what your thoughts are about how the The Fibonacci sequence is related to art or any other subject that you would care to share with me. I am VERY interested in learning! 

        I've searched websites and have only found that there is the geek mathematics explanation, or the deep artistic visual explanation. I am looking for a happy medium ;) I always wondered how I ended up in jobs related to finance. I have no complaints, however, how does someone of the right brain, creative, always end up with a numbers job? You can imagine my surprise once I learned about this 'golden mean.'

        Also, what is my fascination with nature? Why am I able to capture it with such a care, detail, and how does it inspire people so deeply? Aren't they things that people see every day? It is all related to the 'feeling,' this unique balance, this incredible proportion that God has given us... the life, our bodies, we are all related to this perfect balance... that is all summarized or explained with this set of numbers. 

        I also wondered, although I have never taken an architecture course in my life, I have been told by experts that I can capture it like no other. Even by a brilliant architect, he admires my photography and has asked me to do a photography project for him... his incredible designs. Fascinating, isn't it? We are all connected in this unique way. I feel that we are happy when we 

        Here is more info on the Fibonacci Sequence. If you find more or with a different perspective, I would be extremely interested in learning what you find! What are your discoveries with life and this incredible balance?

        There are many different names for the golden ratio; The Golden Mean, Phi, the Divine Section, The Golden Cut, The Golden Proportion, The Divine Proportion, and tau(t).

        Here is a website that visually relates the arts with the Fibonacci Sequence:



        Please let me know how you think... or 'feel' ;)
        over a year ago · Delete Post
      • Joana Young Photography
        Check out this video... it is excellent!

        Patterns and Beauty: The Fibonacci Sequence in Nature

        over a year ago · Delete Post
      • Joana Young Photography
        I wonder what are your thoughts about this??
        about 10 months ago · Delete Post
      • Everett Houser
        Within God's creation are laws & measurements that govern. Whispers of genuis that we benefit from without any thought, or action. He has done all the hard work and answered the equations. Now we can sit along the shore and enjoy the embrace of a vibrant sunset, write a song, script a poem, or paint the scene that we see...all fueled by our spirit, creativity, and emotion. We ourselves are an equation. The human body is made up of geometry and rules that govern it...but within we are spirit and soul.

        Art is a candle lit by emotion and feeling. Our greatest capacity is that which lies within us and extends and reaches out to capture what we see around us. The rush of life keeps many of us from noticing the simple, and wonderous things that are right in front of us. 

        Art doesn't ask us to think, it asks us to feel. And thru this feeling we connect with the sequence and the equation, sometimes even when we are not aware. The rule of thirds and composition techniques are built into Nature, the song they sing help guide us.
        about 9 months ago · Mark as Irrelevant · Report · Delete Post
      • Herb S Cervantes
        I've heard of the Fibonacci Sequence as I was pursuing my degree in Biology, but I did not think much of it. I sort of brushed it off as another formula to remember on a test, much like the law of gravity, or the infamous "E=m c-squared". Cramming to learn and memorize all of the math/chemistry/phsyics rules and formulas was the Top Priority at the time.

        But I wonder if 'Beauty' really does go 'beyond skin deep' - meaning, can we see Fibonacci, the Golden Mean, the rule of thirds, etc, right down to the molecular level, the double-helix structure of the DNA, the single strands of RNA, the cyclohexane rings, the isomers of sugar molecules... How about right down to the subatomic particle level, the arrangement of protons and electron clouds. 
        Thanks to the largely commercial availability of DSLRs - we can all easily share the photos of "the world that we can all see" - raw, unprocessed photos and photos skillfully and artfully processed with filters.
        But not too many of us have capability to shoot to the molecular or subatomic level to see and be able to work with these photos.
        If I said, "I have a passion for shooting dihydrogen oxide molecules and processing my photos using Topaz filters"... You'd probably think I'm crazy.
        How about, "Can anyone loan me a scanning electron microscope for the weekend so I can finish a project for my art photography class?"

        All fine and dandy for most of us who CAN see and appreciate natureand photography 'visually', but can we apply Fibonacci, the rule of thirds, golden mean, etc, in things we cannot see, as in poetry? 

        Think of how much less beauty there would be,
        for the ones who cannot see,
        without prose and poetry.

        Can we apply these rules to the verses, the meter, the rhymes, the rythm, the melody of limericks, sonnets, haikus, ballads, odes, and elegies.

        I'm a Biologist by education and training, so I have very little expertise in these "rules," so I am merely posing questions for thought - consider them "artistic hypotheses"...



        about 9 months ago · Mark as Irrelevant · Report · Delete Post
      • Herb S Cervantes
        I wrote based on the premise that beauty is indeed everywhere in nature and in everything man made, such as architecture. I am simply wishing the following:

        1. Proliferation and availability of molecular and subatomic photography, be it raw or processed, or presented in some other artistic kind of way. I am sure there is beauty in the structure of Kevlar, or any other polysynthetic material. How about the carbon arrangement in the most coveted of all gems - Diamonds. It would be great to see the beauty of the carbon structure of diamonds beneath the surface glitter, and be able to work with photos. There's just not enough of these photos out there yet. For example, I am sure that my friend microbiologist and my friend photographer will shoot and present, photos of the same virus, in different ways.

        2. In regards to poetry, though it IS true that poetry needs to be read by someone who can see, but is the poem the words in print, the typeface, the font, the raised letters in Braille, or is poetry the "unseen thought", the "images", the feelings and emotions, conveyed by the words in print? How would one describe to the blind a scenery, a painting, or a panoramic landscape without the help of prose and poetry? I see, hear, feel the balance, beauty, and harmony in the words; I just am not "enculturated" enough about the direct correllation to and the application of the "rules" to poetry.

        I am still in awe with outer space photography - photographs of stars, planets, other galaxies (or other potential 'universes'), the clouds of Jupiter, even photographs of our own Earth from the space shuttle in orbit. It doesnt take much post processing to convey 'the Beauty and Magnificence of it all' and be completely fascinated. Thankfully these photos are readily available and widely circulated. But, how many photos show the turbulence of the electron cloud around a proton... or, a even a photo of the splitting atom...
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