mgs « | DYNAMIC SYMMETRY — EE EE YP PEPE a wT ERP SP APR | DYNAMIC SYMMETRY | IN COMPOSITION A BY THE SAME AUTHOR Tur ELEMENTS oF Dynamic SYMMETRY Practical APPLICATIONS OF DyNAMIC SYMMETRY Dynamic SYMMETRY: THE GREEK VASE Tae ParTHENON AND OTHER GREEK TEMPLES: THER DyxaMic SYMMETRY Tae DiacoNaL DYNAMIC SYMMETRY IN COMPOSITION AS USED BY THE ARTISTS By JAY HAMBIDGE etn sr ene. 790 /~/E3 NEW HAVEN YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON * GEOFFREY CUMBERLEGE °° OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 4 / { A nN A 07 | y q 1 00) MAIN lg. Copyright, 1923, by Jay Hambidge Reprinted, 1948, by Yale University Press Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. a ’ 4 - A NN 7 A 4 / Ss 3 # r & yj 1102455 Dedicated TO THE AMERICAN ARTISTS WHO WERE THE FIRST TO USE DYNAMIC SYMMETRY AND TO THE MEMORY OF GEORGE H. WHITTLE, ITS FIRST FRIEND PREFACE HE paintings and drawings illustrated in this book have been selected to show some of the methods which artists have used to apply the principles of Dynamic Symmetry to picture composition. It is my conviction that no set method can be prescribed for this purpose as each artist will, of necessity, find the solu- tions for his own problems and will work out for himself the scheme of area subdivision or area manipulation which, in his opinion, is best suited for his needs. The general ideas connected with this type of symmetry have been explained in The Elements, and their application to specific examples of Classic Greek design is rather ex- haustively illustrated in the two volumes Dynamic Symmetry, The Greek Vase, and The Parthenon and Other Greek Temples, Their Dynamic Symmetry. (Published by The Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut.) Therefore it will not be neces- sary to make more than a passing reference to or explanation of the fundamentals in this volume. The principal point for the painter to bear in mind is that the symmetry composition of a picture is a problem of two dimensional pattern. There are no general rules applicable to color or light and shade from this point of view, at least there are no general ideas of this character which must be considered at present. Lines, angles and curves are regarded merely as defining areas which compose the units of a map-like arrange- ment within the boundaries of the picture frame or the canvas stretcher. These boundaries fix the limits of the picture auto- matically and forever define the area character of the work. [5] PREFACE Symmetry shows us that these limits have a direct bearing upon all arrangements of form within the enclosed area. When the composition of a picture is developed in accordance with this idea the result is a unity comparable to that of an organism; every part is related to every other part and all parts are definite and more or less logical elements of the entire pattern. There are many methods by which a dynamic pattern of a | composition may be developed but, naturally, only a few of | them can be explained in a book of this character. My own point of view I have intentionally suppressed as I feel that the ; field is an open one and that it is more important for the present | to obtain as many and as diverse reactions to the idea of sche- matic composition as possible. It is natural that the pictures selected for this volume should have been painted by artists who were among the first to hear of dynamic symmetry. Some four or five years ago I was asked by a number of artists to tell them something about the results of my investigations in the field of abstract form. The amount of interest shown | was a delightful surprise as I had supposed that the matter was of concern to myself alone. I had been working upon the idea for over twenty years—had even read a paper upon certain aspects of my early efforts in London in 1903. At that time the subject was regarded as of Academic interest only, but, about the beginning of the great war, the field of design had become so disrupted by the reactions against Academic tradi- tion that the attention of the art world was directed toward the many new movements of protest against accepted artistic prac- tice. Thus, in a sense, the time had become ripe for the re- ception of the results of a long and painstaking study of the very matter which was agitating the artists. [6] Py BE Te = Pug »e m ERRATA Page 8, line 4, should read—canvas eight feet square. Page 9, line 9, should read—8 by 8 feet. Page 11, title under photograph should read—8 by 8 feet Page 13, line 20, should read—within the area of a root-two rectangle ; Page 17, line 1, should read—For the root-two rectangle Page 17, second diagram of Fig. 8 is incorrect. It should be a 1.4142 rectangle. Page 17, line 3, should read—This leaves a .4142 area as an excess. Page 17, line 15, should read—the .4142 area Page 18, title under photograph, should read—Miss Herter’s 1.4142 rectangle Page 21, line 1, should read—AB is a 1.4142 rectangle ing hen vith sm ; nite if a i of pwn DYNAMIC SYMMETRY IN COMPOSITION CHAPTER I artists who became interested in the matter of symmetry. I recall that her absorption in the subject was so great that she used to visit the room in which the lectures were being given and, for hours, day after day, would sit alone and laboriously copy drawings from the great mass of classic material I had made available for those interested. This self-appointed task produced its reward, for she thus acquired a knowledge of the subject which no amount of general description on the part of a lecturer could give. Such a grasp of the matter did she ob- tain that, in a short time, she was able to impart the knowledge to other artists who at once began to apply it to their work. It was at this time that she was commissioned to make a painting of the Kneisel Quartet. It was to be a small picture —something of a sketch to be a remembrance to the group of famous musicians. It happened at the time that Miss Herter had been struck by the value of dynamic symmetry as an enlarg- ing or reducing scheme. Unlike the familiar scheme of squares which had been used for this purpose from time immemorial, she found that a dynamic trellis helped to retain the spirit of the smallest sketch when enlarged to any reasonable scale. (See some of the sketches by Degas who was struggling to find something of a like nature for this purpose.) The squaring system fails at this most important point and instead of helping the artist to hold the spirit of his sketch introduces an element of commonplaceness which gradually saturates the entire fabric of his work. phil HERTER was one of the very first of the £7) { DYNAMIC SYMMETRY Realizing the value of the new tool, Miss Herter’s ambition was fired and, instead of developing her picture on the modest scale which was expected, she laid out a composition on a great iG. 1 A sketch by Degas, showing his enlarging scheme canvas nearly ten feet square. It was a very daring thing for a young artist to do, but the result completely justified her judg- ment. She told me that she felt no embarrassment at any stage rm — —r———— of the painting. The picture grew easily and freely and caused her no more difficulty than would a composition on a small scale. | When completed, the picture was a revelation to the members of the quartet and to friends of the artist. It was sent to the } ¢ next Academy exhibition and was hung on the north wall of the old Vanderbilt gallery. It now hangs in the rooms of the Phil- harmonic Society in New York City. In making this composition Miss Herter scaled out a small square and to it applied a root five rectangle as shown in her accompanying layout. The figures of the four men, with their instruments and music stands, were placed within the root five area. The remaining area of the major square, which 1s larger [8] on ast at for idg- age ised ~ale. bers the ' the hil- mall . her their . five .rger IN COMPOSITION than that occupied by the figures, is composed of a square and two extreme and mean ratio rectangles, one placed over the other. The arithmetical value of these composing elements of the major square, which Miss Herter rather thoroughly learned, is: 2.236, Reciprocal .4472 1.809, = 5528 The root five rectangle The excess area Total 1.0000 i.e., 1. is the square or unit, in this case the area of the canvas 10 x 10 feet nearly. Of course the calculation is not necessary as the area may be subdivided by simple geometrical construction as shown in the small diagram. C A x F r Cc / ' | / | ! / | | / Ir" ""5 | / | | / | c iE H Al -eerocdf.... J \ / I | 1.4 ! J | L/ § ! I 1 D h 8 : D 8 a b Fig. 2 AB of a is the major square. CD is a line dividing AB into two equal pagts. AD and ED are each composed of two squares. ED is a diagonal to two squares. DF is equal to DB. GH is drawn through F. The area GB is a root five rectangle within the area of the major square AB. The area AH is composed of a square and two extreme and mean ratio rectangles. [91] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY 17 TRE The artist’s dynamic scheme for the Kneisel Quartet. Root five areas in a square NN [10] A ES OER eg ER Re Lal are he “The Kneisel Quartet,” by Christine Herter. Size of canvas about 10 X 10 feet IN COMPOSITION Beginners arc apt to overlook the relationship of the excess area. When a rectangle is applied to a square, as in b of the diagram for example, the excess area has a direct bearing upon and may be used materially to affect the proportions of the applied area. AB of the diagram is a root five area composed of the square BE and the two extreme and mean ratio areas DA. AC is composed of the square FE and the two extreme and mean ratio rectangles EC. If FG is scaled off as 1., or unity, then FA equals .5528 and AG is .4472. It will be good exercise for the reasoning faculty to make the proof geometrically. Shortly after finishing the Kneisel Quartet, Miss Herter made a great many interesting direct studies, in full oil color, from a model out of doors. I have had a couple of these reproduced. One is of a figure coming from a pool; the other, a figure sitting on a bank. The figure coming from a pool is composed in an extreme and mean rectangle ; the other is arranged within the area of a 1.472 rectangle. The accompanying diagrams made by the artist explain in a general way her manipulation of the two areas. In the extreme and mean rectangle (numerically 1:1.618) when a square 1s applied on an end the excess area is a similar figure to the whole, i.e., a .618 rectangle. A line drawn through the points of intersection of the diagonals and reciprocals of the lesser area, the .618 rectangle, defines a root five rectangle. The artist has made use of the latter area in fixing the general proportions of the body and head. In the small diagram, AB is a 1.618 rectangle and CB is a square. CE 1s a .618 rectangle, CF is a square, etc. HA and CE cut CG and HF at J and I. The area HK or CD is the root five rectangle mentioned. [13] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY | lations HRN The 1.618 area with its enclosed root five rectangle [14] Coming out of the Pool wi IN COMPOSITION For the 1.472 rectangle Miss Herter has made the subdivi- sions in a peculiarly personal manner. First there is an appli- Ape Ep HE a > ir Rl--2recece.x’=,4D AR oT v Ne > «f 3 » ae He ae el a] H ’ \ ’ ‘ JB 1.618 1.472 Fig. 3 cation of a square on an end. This leaves a .472 area as an excess. To this excess area another square is applied. This defines the back of the head of the seated figure and leaves for a further excess two root five rectangles. The fixing of these proportions is a very simple operation as a synthesis, but as an analysis the exact explanation is not so easy. It reminds me of many of the explanations of the pro- portions of Greek architecture, perfectly simple and natural when considered from the synthetic or artists’ standpoint, in- volved and very difficult from the analytic point of view. Miss Herter has drawn a diagonal line connecting corners of the two squares. She has then fixed a diagonal to half of the .472 area and this, in the picture, is a branch of the tree in the background. The inclination of the back of the figure and the lean of the tree trunk are roughly fixed by a line connecting the corners of two squares, the larger of which is applied to the other end of the major rectangle. The basic disposition of the subdivisions will, perhaps, be more easily understood by the aid of the small diagram. [17] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY al | +x o = ry eT \ ~7 L | Claudine Hero Ne S 3 Miss Herter’s 1.472 rectangle [18] . £ § s : : 5 = 3 se 3 : On the Bank A ts Sd rt IN COMPOSITION AB is a 1.472 rectangle and BC, AD are applied squares at either end. CE is a square applied to one end of the excess area AG. EF, EB are the diagonal lines mentioned above, while CH is a diagonal line to one half of AG. The importance of the diagonal lines of the whole is apparent in Miss Herter’s sketch. [21] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY CHAPTER II URING the first course of lectures upon dynamic symmetry which were being given to the group of American artists in New York City several years ago, Mr. George Bellows ap- peared one evening. He had come over to the lecture room from the Salmagund Club with a number of other artists to learn at first hand some- thing about the talks on the arrangement of areas within the bounds of a picture composition. He became absorbed in the subject as soon as the lecture began, and as the talk proceeded and the subject began to unfold he seemed to forget that he was in a very much crowded room. Finally, as some point was being brought out by a diagram on the blackboard, he stood up and interrupted: : “Do I understand you to mean—"’ He hesitated, and then added, “Perhaps I could make what I wish to ask clearer if I went to the blackboard.” He pushed through the crowd in front of him and, taking the chalk, repeated the diagram on the board without hesitation Upon being assured that it was correct he said, “That is what I wanted to know. Now I understand it.” From subsequent talks with him and after I had seen some of his sketches and paintings, wherein he had employed dynamic symmetry, I was struck by the logic of his thinking and his grasp of the essential ideas involved in pattern planning. Some time later it was my pleasure to be introduced by Mr. Bellows at a lecture given at the National Arts Club. After some pre, liminary remarks he said that he believed he could deliver & lecture on the subject, and he could, and make it more interest! ing than mine, I am sure, as his practical experience has been so much richer than mine. | i [22] nmetry artists WSs ap- agundi | some- un the in the ceeded he was 5 being ap and d then er if 1 ng the tation. what I ome of ynamic nd his Some 3ellows le pre- iver a terest- s been IN COMPOSITION Last year Mr. Bellows was awarded first prize at the Inter- national Art Exhibition in Pittsburgh for his painting “Eleanor, Jean and Anna.” Later this picture was bought by the Roches- ter, New York, Museum for a price of $7,500.00. He has given me two of the sketches he made for the picture and a descrip- tion of his method in planning and carrying out the dynamic composition. The shape of the canvas was half of a root five rectangle. The half of a rectangle is composed of two similar figures to the whole. In this case one figure is over the other. The subdivi- sions of the major area were made by the application of squares on either end, reciprocals and their diagonals and an arrangement of the major shape into its two squares and an extreme and mean ratio rectangle. The scheme could hardly be simpler and Mr. Bellows’ sketch of his plan furnishes an excellent illustration of the inherent harmonies of areas which the dynamic rectangles contain. The ratio of the canvas, end to side, is 1.: 1.118, i.e., 1.: 2,236 divided by 2. The central horizontal line dividing the two root five rectangles (AC and QR) passes through the child’s mouth and her head, above this line, occupies the square WZ. The area XC 1s a square and XQ is composed of two extreme and mean ratio rectangles. These areas, of course, are duplicated in the root five rectangle, AC, above. The interesting and to modern artistic practice revolutionary feature of Mr. Bellows’ picture arrangement now appears: The making of the sketches and their assemblage in the picture involve different rectangles. The method by which this is brought about would be utterly confusing to an artist of the old school who depended upon simple squares for enlargement and reduction. Mr. Bellows has taken advantage of the most dis- tinguishing property of the dynamic rectangle,—the almost unlimited possibility of subdivision or addition in simple rec- ognizable terms which are inherent in it. In this case the artist [23] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY rvm———— —— a 1.119. ELEANOR. JEAN AND ANNA The artist’s dynamic plan for the prize painting [24] Mr. Bellows’ International Prize Painting, ‘Eleanor, Jean and Anna” Pa ~~ 4 — IN COMPOSITION picked out a theme and adhered to it strictly. Countless other themes could be selected. Dynamic Symmetry is a system of notation in areas and, like the natural notation of numbers, a series or a scheme adaptable to any particular purpose may be selected. The advantage of this particular area notation lies in the fact that it introduces asymmetric balance and thus avoids the dead commonplaceness of equal units of area, a curse of pictorial composition for ages. We all know the shallowness of invention in modern composition. An illustration is what is known as the “envelope fold” type of arrangement wherein the main lines of a composition follow the lines of perspective, either angular or parallel. Following lazily the latter the artist automatically obtains the envelope fold. Perspective does in- troduce proportion and to a certain extent makes a picture hang together, but the more it is used the more it increases the depth in a composition and thus introduces a quality of the photograph and leads away from design. The power and ex- pressiveness of an artist, say like Giotto, lie in the fact that the perspective element is almost absent. The Greek vase painters were also free from the evil effects of too much perspective. What such pictures lack in realism they more than make up in design force. In fact it is just this that marks the parting of the ways for the modern artist. Photography in picture making and its inseparable companion the subject picture have had their day. Design in form and color is about to come back to its heritage where, let us hope, it will remain in possession forever. Another of the thoughtless conventions of picture making is the pyramid composition. Its use marks an effort to get away from the taint of perspective, but it has been used as a mere recipe, a rubber stamp, a trick to cover up poverty of thought. We will now return to the work of this modern artist who disdains studio tricks and prefers to think out his arrangements. The sketches for the figures of this picture were made upon [31] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY 1.309 OLP LADY iN BlACK., Go 1 94g The artist’s dyncmic plan for his 1.309 composition [32] —l 3 **0ld Lady in Black,” by George Bellows. National Arts Club prize and gold medal IN COMPOSITION one kind of a trellis, their placing within the boundaries of the picture another, yet both belong to the same system. Mr. Bel- lows gave me the sketches for the two women and regretted that the sketch of the little girl had already been given away. He said that he had painted entirely from these sketches and had made them together at one sitting. After blocking in the positions he had begun with the sketch for the little girl first as he had always found that children were fidgety sitters. When the child was finished he made the drawings for the two women, remarking to me that they could sit for hours without a tremor. The sketches are on a medium weight Manilla paper on which a trellis had been lightly indicated in pencil, but this had been laid out with a scale and “TT” square. As the squares which have been appli OEE of the canvas overlap, the length of this is DE. (See Mr. Bellows’ sketch of his plan.) A side length of the canvas is 1.118. These relative lengths and widths may be laid out with any length of unit desired if it is divided into tenths. This is afterward mul- tiplied to make the desired size. For the benefit of the student who may wish to plan a canvas in this way it may prove inter- esting to say something about the nature of the subdivided areas as they were fixed in this example. The fraction, .118, multiplied by 2 equals .236. This latter fraction represents the area which plays such an important part in the Parthenon. The distance DE is 1.118 minus .236, or .882. The student ought to ponder over an .882 rectangle. (One half of this is the complement of .559 which represents an area composed of four root five rectangles and is one fifth of root five. This fact will be easy to remember if we recall that a half of any rectangle is composed of two similar figures to a whole, a third three, a fourth four, a fifth five, etc. The reciprocal of a root five area is .4472. Four times this equals 1.7888, reciprocal .559. A little figuring on the root five series will help to make clear the [35] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY fact that the entire scheme of this. higher symmetry which the classic Greeks seem to have preferred can easily be controlled if one rectangle of the series be given. AF is a side of a reciprocal of the entire canvas shape. A like line to FM, on the other end and passing through T, defines the inside position of the head of the old lady on the left as the first one does the inside position of the head of the one on the right. A reciprocal of the major rectangle has the numerical value of .8944 (1.118 divided into 1). The difference between .8944 and 1.118 is .2236 or one tenth of a root five rectangle. Twice this is .4472, one fifth, a reciprocal and a similar shape to the whole, that is a root five area. The two reciprocals overlap to the extent of the distance from T to the line FH. The rectangle made by this overlap is 1.118 minus .4472, or .6708. The student may amuse himself by figuring out the number of root five areas which this last frac- tion represents. : The positions of the heads of the two old ladies occupy spaces of the same width and each is equal distance from the ends of the canvas. One of the most interesting of recent pictures is the “Old Lady in Black,” by Mr. Bellows, which won $600.00 and the National Arts Club Gold Medal a short time ago. Mr. Bellows has given me his dynamic layout for this picture and, like all this artist’s compositions, it furnishes a simple, direct and comprehensive scheme in pattern planning. It is a composition well worth careful study, as from it the student may learn more of the principles of dynamic arrangement than he could from many lectures. In connection with a study of the arrangement of the painting it will be necessary constantly to refer to Mr. Bellows’ analysis of his scheme. This analysis is practically as it left the artists hand, the only addition being the inking of the analyzing lines and the making of a few letters to identify the areas involved [36] ture iple, 1s a dent han ting lysis 1st’s 1nes ved. IN COMPOSITION Mr. Bellows left these lines indicated lightly in pencil and I went over them with a dotted ink line so a direct plate could be made from the sketch. The rectangle of the canvas, as Mr. Bellows has indicated, is 1: 1.309. The fraction .309 is half of .618, consequently the area in excess of a square is composed of two .618 rectangles, OP, PB. This area HB is similar and equal to CJ at the top of the canvas. The artist’s method was the application of a square at both the top and the bottom of the canvas. These are BC and AD. These squares overlap to the extent of CD. This overlap area 1s composed of the square ED and the root five rect- angle EH. We obtain this result numerically, and read it off on a scale with the foot or inch divided into tenths, as follows: — The length of a side of the picture is 1.309. With 1. sub- tracted, .309 is the result. From HA another .309 is subtracted and this leaves HC. The side of a square applied to an end of the picture is 1. or OC. .309 from 1. leaves .691 for HC. .691 is the reciprocal of 1.4472, i.e., a square plus a root five rectangle. The reciprocal of a square and a root five rectangle is obtained by dividing 1.4472 into 1. The .691 rectangle CD is composed of the square DE and the root five rectangle EH, or the square may be CF. It is at once apparent from Mr. Bellows’ layout that the essential parts of the figure are arranged within the square and root five area CD. It may prove interesting to the student to note that as the area CD is within the square CB that OF is a similar and equal figure to EH. It is suggested that the student try to find out a number of the possibilities of arrangement of a square and root five figure when it is placed within a square. Note that CG 1s a square equal to BF, for example. If the line through G were produced across the .691 area CD would [37] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY be divided into two parts and the upper would be a .309 and the lower part a .382 rectangle. AK is a diagonal to a reciprocal and meets a diagonal of the whole at right angles at M. Note the area OK. It is the difference between the reciprocal AX and the entire rectangle AB. The value of the reciprocal, numerically, is .764. The difference between .764 and 1.309 is 1.545. It is suggested that the student study out the area value of OK. Also to determine the area value of LJ and to prove that it is composed of three similar figures to CD. Many other suggestions might be made but it is left for the student to dis- cover these for himself. [38] ad the of the brocal irocal, 309 is ‘value prove ‘other o dis- IN COMPOSITION CHAPTER III the movement to obtain clearer and saner information about the methods which artists could use to fix proportions in their paintings and to control the patterns of compositions. When Mr. Giles attended the first meeting of this group and saw that no attempt was being made to preach a doctrine of recipe and formula but that abstract and general ideas only were to be discussed which could in no way interfere with the artist’s indi- vidual expression, he gave the movement his whole-hearted sup- port. He immediately began to apply the principles he learned, not only to his own work, but to his life class at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art. From such a beginning the use of this symmetry spread throughout the school until now it is employed in every depart- ment. An exhibition of the school work for the past season was recently given in New York City and a critic of “The Times” had this to say about it: H OWARD GILES was a member of the group which started The recent exhibition of work by the pupils of the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts was interesting, especially as showing what the principles of dynamic symmetry do for elementary design, for the kind of design that is not yet out of the schoolroom. These principles are used in all the classes of the school by students of all ages and on various planes of mental ability. They are used even by the Saturday morning classes for children under the age of 12. It is reasonable to assume that their use accounts for the general air of authority in the designs, most of them simple enough, uniting them in a style that is at least authentic. The children of the Saturday morning classes have reduced their little designs to the simplest combinations of three or four shapes, and it is interesting to see how far from standardized these look in spite of their frank announcement of the framework. The puppet stage is represented; the puppets made by the young students are placed within the frame of a little theatre decorated with abstract designs. The poses of the puppets as well as the spacing of the [39] 2) Baa fr CAA hy is es - 3 DYNAMIC SYMMETRY decorations are governed by the principles of dynamic symmetry, and while they are childlike in their naiveté of expression there is no fumbling in the work. As far as it goes it is clear with the satisfying clarity of planned arrangement. | The idea of the stage is dominant in the work of this school and the small models made by the students are remarkably workmanlike, now and then quite beautiful, throughout logical. Great care is taken to avoid the loose mesh of the amateur. If anything the mesh is a trifle too tight, but tbat is inevitable and better a thousand times than the opposite extreme. One of the most important contacts is that with the moving picture stage. This con- tact is in every sense practical. The players come to the school and pose for the students, buy the costumes, offer prizes, etc. This, of course, is of benefit in compelling the students to design definitely for existing requirements, but there is a chance of its introducing them prematurely to an art in which it is difficult for the most muscular to hold up the esthetic standard. The work for the stage is, however, the most ambitious of any in the exhi- bition and the preparation is scrupulously thorough. A play is given as a problem. It is first read to capture its spirit. In making the sets, the place, type, time, season and year are taken into consideration. The mood is deter- mined, the lighting off the stage and on, the properties which must appear and those which may be brought in. All most professional. The mischievous notion of art for art’s sake is disposed of by this clean, precise method. Another entertaining five-finger exercise is the use of museum material brought to life, the lively device of drawing a museum object as literally as possible and then translating it into modern uses and movement. Here again dynamic symmetry helps. It helps in such problems as the make-up of type on a newspaper page and examples of this use of it are included in the exhi- bition. To see how much it helps think in terms of architecture. It seems of small importance if an illustration or a caption is an inch to the right or two inches to the left on a page, but what of a house, what of a barn in which the foundation was two feet and the roof three feet out of relation to the rest? This, really, is the chief interest of the exhibition at the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts. It shows that in a large school, drawing from many regions and races, the consistent use of a system of basic principles instead of hampering the product sets it free, giving young talents a chance to develop originality under the control of a natural law. Not every one, however, can have the training and inspiration of minds always freshly awake to the splendors of Greek art at its highest. The Greeks knew well that not every one in their own active world could thus respond, They knew their common people, their artisans, their craftsmen, their trades- men in the market. To make beauty as nearly universal as it was among the [40] land while ing in the ff planned § —— {the small land then the loose ut that is . One of This con- jand pose tse, is of nirements, in which the exhi- ven as a the place, is deter- it appear ischievous I. material erally as re again of type the exhi- seems of t or two vhich the (rest? k School Ym many stead of develop f minds Greeks respond, trades- long the “Ophelia.” Memory sketch by Howard Giles Memory sketch by Howard Giles ‘Hamlet.” Memory sketch by Howard Giles “The King IN COMPOSITION Greeks at their peak of civilization some law must have been discovered and formulated which would reduce to a minimum clumsiness and eccentricity in design, obedience to which would mean a singularly even excellence in all the minor arts of the country. Apparently this was the case. Mr. Hambidge thinks that it was, and has convinced many. But the most convincing support of his theory is found today in the schools. First, the theory: dynamic sym- metry. Without going into the detail of explanation, this may be described briefly as the type of symmetry found in a natural organism, found in the placing of leaves on a stem, found in the architecture of the human body, always suggesting life and movement and opposed to static symmetry which sug- gests order without the potentiality of change. Mr. Hambidge and others work- ing with him have found that the dynamic type of symmetry was used by the Greeks, who inherited it from the Egyptians and developed it in their art during the classic period with varying degrees of elaboration—New York Times, Sunday, June 10, 1923. Mr. Giles has an original point of view in everything he under- takes and his employment of dynamic symmetry discloses a personal slant which, as we know from the excellent work done by his students, is fruitful in many ways. In whatever work he has in hand he looks for some dominant and characteristic angle either of the grouping or, if it is merely a head, some basic forms suggested by the subject. He makes this the foundation of his plan and from it creates the fabric of the whole in like terms. The finished picture therefore is like a plant which has grown from a seed. It all hangs together and every feature is an outgrowth of the basic theme. One of his methods of work is perhaps best illustrated by a series of drawings now on exhibi- tion at Harvard University. These drawings have a peculiar significance in that they are memory sketches, as Mr. Giles calls them. He saw a performance of Hamlet last winter in New York and a few days later began this series of drawings without other material than mental notes of dominant angles which the characters themselves provided. The drawings are remarkable, as artists know that sketches made from such scant material are usually nothing more than sketches and convey but 2 meagre suggestion of what the real characters are. The artist’s [47] ad & DYNAMIC SYMMETRY description of his process in the following letter, however, is! more illuminating than anything I can say: Dear Jay:—These are really memory sketches. I saw the play and made | mental notes of the characters. A few days later I took charcoal and devel oped the drawings as you see them. ; I had in mind the old Greek point of view that there is an eternal some. thing in character more real than surface appearance and I did the work in this spirit—as nearly as I could. Each drawing was worked from a theme supplied by the subject. The basis of this was a dominant triangular shape found in the arrangement of the planes and bone construction of the head. This primary shape was made “dynamic.” From this the composition was amplified by projecting the hypo- tenuse of the basic right angled triangle until it intercepted salient points of the construction or the boundaries of the picture itself. Thus the theme included not only the head but the space surrounding it. I feel that every artist will arrange the elements of his compositions and hold them firmly knit together as a design ensemble according to his tempera- ment and understanding, and in so doing will realize his conception of a flexible “canon.” It seems to me that each artist will find his own clue for the solution of his compositional riddle. Any contribution that facilitates the overcoming of technical problems and thus enables us to conserve our mental powers for that imponderable thing “art” is of inestimable value. This implies thought as well as emotion and, in spite of a popular fallacy to the contrary, I believe that thought and emotion are not opposed. Indeed through this connection the artist is freed, and only through this is he released from the slavery of imitation. The imitative art is an inferior who weds an inferior and has inferior offspring —thrice removed from truth.—Praro. The psychological condition produced by personal achievement starts in the creative mind a realization of power that produces conviction. In this connection I feel that I cannot do better than quote Dr. Denman W. Ross. “The secret of a reasonable happiness for everybody lies in being governed by our work, whatever it is and the ideal we find in it. We must have some- thing definite to do, every one of us, and we must do it as well as we can, fol- lowing good precedents and having as our motive the law of excellence and perfection and a longing for order and beauty everywhere. If we do not do that, life, the biggest show on earth, will not be worth the price of admission.” * Sincerely and with respect, Howarp GrvEs. ® On Drawing and Painting, by Denman Waldo Ross, Ph.D., page 32. [48] br, is | made {devel- | some- ] brk in i The tnt of made hypo- nts of cluded is and | npera- flexible plution joming rs for ght as believe on the tation. spring ; in the rection verned some- n, fol- e and p that, r* LES. eet. IN COMPOSITION CHAPTER IV OME of the artists are striking out independently and are devising various means, ways and methods of following the principles of dynamic symmetry. One of them, who is follow- ing the principles in his own way, is Dr. Denman W. Ross of Harvard University. When this theory of dynamic symmetry was first talked about Dr. Ross was instrumental in having the writer invited to Har- vard to deliver a course of lectures on the subject. Although Dr. Ross had done a great deal of work in this particular field of research he accepted the new idea and began, immediately, to apply it in his practice of drawing and painting. He has been doing this, for some years, with success. It is Dr. Ross’s practice to use the triangular half of a dynamic rectangle, that is, a right-angled triangle composed of a side, end Fra. 4 Drawing of instrument {and hypotenuse of such a rectangle. To establish the important {lines in a composition, the drawing of a figure or a portrait, for example, a right-angled triangle, cut from a sheet of celluloid, is [49] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY employed. To decide what triangle, of the great number ang variety of them, to use in view of any particular subjed Dr. Ross employs a very simple and easily constructed in strument. In this instrument the right angle is movable. Holding it with the hypotenuse in the hand, he studies his subject, the mod as posed, for example, and considers its various positions, direc tions and angles. He then gives to his right angle the Deshi which seems most suitable. Another way to establish the triangle is to use a pair of com passes as an angle-meter. One leg is used as a fixed perpendicu- lar. This is sighted upon the model. The other leg is then moved until the appropriate angle is found. It is astonishing how easily and how quickly a good composition can be worked out by this method. In the following letter Dr. Ross gives a very clear explanation of it. Harvarp University, May 15, 1923. Dear Hampmee:—I am sending you three drawings for your book; two por trait heads and the study of a figure. They illustrate the idea of drawing with a single right-angled triangle, using it as a module. There are two modes of drawing which I am thinking of. One of them is based upon the idea of tracing the object in the air with the point of the pencil} The pencil is on the paper while the eye is on the object; but in the imagina- tion they are moving together. This simple and natural mode of drawing is useful; not only as a means of recording the facts of observation, but as the best means of developing the visual imagination; filling the mind, as it does with visual images which are the terms of visual knowledge and ideas. The other mode of drawing is by a method of geometric construction, in which I use a right-angled triangle and use it as a module. This triangle i, generally, the triangular half of one or another of your root rectangles, or of the XM rectangle, as I call it; the rectangle of extreme and mean proportions. Taking any right-angled triangle which seems to me appropriate for my pur pose, I use it on a drawing board with a T square. In the two portraits which I am sending you I used the triangular half of the XM rectangle. In the figure study I used the triangle of the / 5 rectangle; which is the rectangle of a square plus two XM rectangles. In using the triangle it is set vertically in two atti [50] pa om seg — ber ang subject ited in. pal. ding it, e Hig) 1, direc. position pf com- endicy- I moved position ter Dr. 5, 1923.3 two por- | drawing ‘them is ae pencil. | limagina- lawing is it as the | it does, letion, ‘in langle is, bs, or of Iportions. my pur- Its which he figure |a seal [two atti- bd FORTE re IN COMPOSITION tudes and horizontally in two attitudes. In these attitudes it is moved right and left and up and down. The diagonal directions given by the triangle in its vertical attitudes are the reciprocals of those given in its horizontal attitudes. Drawing in this way, with a right-angled triangle as a module, it is possible either to start with the rectangle of the triangle and then to proceed to the representation within it, or to start with some detail of the representation and reach the enclosing rectangle at the end of the performance. i Vertical attitudes Horizontal attitudes Fie. 5 The enclosing rectangle of the drawing is not necessarily the rectangle of the triangle used, but it will always be in symmetry with that rectangle. Working, in this way, from the whole to the parts or from the parts to the whole and wing only the directions and angles of a single right-angled triangle I get a consistency, symmetry and harmony into my drawing, not otherwise obtain- able. In case it is necessary or desirable, which seldom happens, it is possible to modulate from the directions and angles of one triangle to the directions and angles of another; provided the two triangles are geometrically related. For example, I am able to move from the diagonals of one square to the diag- onals of two squares, or from the diagonals of a square to the diagonal of an XM rectangle. This last modulation is particularly easy because the reciprocal diagonal of an XM rectangle cuts off a square, exactly. The reader of these statements is thinking, no doubt, that while the rep- _ {resentations produced in this way, using a single right-angled triangle as a module, may have the order and the beauty of symmetry they can never be specifically accurate as representations. This is not the case. The accuracy of the representation depends simply on the visual discrimination and accurate observation of the draftsman. He expresses himself, inevitably; his power of observation or his lack of it. A photographic accuracy is possible if it is desired. The portrait-head which I am sending you is the evidence and proof of this statement. I am sending you, also, a photograph of the boy, a profile, gs in the drawing. You will see how exact the likeness is. It will not be neces- sary, however, for you to publish the photograph. Your readers who take up [51] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY and try this method of drawing will discover its possibilities for themselve: No matter about those who do not try it. Faithfully yours, ; Dexyax W. Ross, The portrait-drawing of a woman by Dr. Ross illustrates th use of an extremely interesting rectangle. It is composed of ga, extreme and mean ratio rectangle set horizontally and two simila, rectangles set vertically. Mr. Bellows has used this area mos] effectively in a picture, not illustrated here, and it appears con stantly in the proportions of the Parthenon. The artist has placed the essential proportions of the head, | in relation to the enclosing rectangle, by two lines, both of then diagonals of extreme and mean ratio areas. One of these line touches the nose, chin and the base of the neck; the other de- fines the upper right hand corner of the rectangle. These two lines were fixed at once in the drawing. Practically all other lines are parallel to the diagonals of the composing rectangles. The tangent lines to the curve of the top of the head should be studied. As the artist has set the pattern of the area enclosing the head it brings out clearly two properties of the enclosing rectangles. First, it is apparent that the placing of the head on the canvas is fixed and rigid. It is as unmistakable as could be desired. There is no getting away from the main proportions. They may be repeated, with absolute accuracy, on any scale. Second, the position of the head places no serious restrictions or limitations upon the artist. There is nothing about the drawing which even suggests a rule or a formula. The composition illustrates the freedom which may be exercised within the law as all freedom should be whether in life or in art. : The subject is in repose and, consequently, there are no lines of action in the sense of figure movement, yet, because the pro- portioning lines form angles with the sides and ends of the en- closing rectangle, there is a movement suggested, but it is that of pulsating life. Had a scheme of horizontal and perpendicular [62] i 3 Vv. Ross. i | | ates the a4 ys a“ d of a similar ea most Ars con- le head, pf them se lines her de- ese two rer lines The studied, he head tan gles. ANVAS 13 There may be nd, the itations ch even ites the reedom no lines he pro- the en- is that dicular hemselves : 3 igre | Vita jo : A sketch for a figure, by Dr. Ross Portrait study, by Dr. Ross 7 Fron, wih fe Go 4, Portrait study, by Dr. Ross IN COMPOSITION es ines, without diagonals and without reciprocals, been employed, his suggestion of life pulsation would have had no force. Note }he parallelism of eyelid, mouth, chin, nose, ear and hair angles. [These are essentials of a living harmony. At the same time it is © Interesting to know that the same person could have been drawn {in the same position in other dynamic arrangements without loss bf either symmetry or of truth. SRI da ae BA Th a 3 [56] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY CHAPTER V F the Chm American artists probably none exhibit a O stronger lyrical note in their paintings than Leon Kroll, He was one of the first to make practical use of dynamic sym- metry and he has adhered to this method of making proportional compositions without deviation. : His work is characterized by an extremely direct and simple use of primary form. The observant spectator can pick out at once the backbones of the structures. In Mr. Kroll’s composi- tions there is to be found, unconcealed, the structural logic of the governing pattern. When the infinite possibilities of schematic plan, which the dynamic rectangles may be made to conform to, are realized, it is delightful to encounter a mind which persists in simplicity and seizes at once upon the most direct means of secur- ing it. The logic of the procedure in these compositions is strongly emphasized by the values given the composing elements of the rectangles. The primary scheme of subdivision is kept strictly a primary phase of the controlling theme. The secondary echoes are rigidly defined as such and there is no interference of one with the other. The balanced treatment of the color is no less! simple, fresh and forceful. Without considering either color or line, one may dwell with delight upon the controlled power shown by the placing of the | abstract forms. Mr. Kroll has an orderly and original mind. It is not exactly that he ignores the commonplace—rather it appears not to exist for him. Like the characters of his figures the entire | fabric of his work appears saturated with youth and freshness. The trite and the consciously personal are alike relegated. The innocent and clean fervor exhibited by these pictures constitutes [60] [leay uwodT 4q ,‘pivgaIQ 9y} uf, IN COMPOSITION (a most natural and healthy influence. It does not seem possible ~ |that these arrangements were ever used before. And it does not ~ {seem possible that they can ever be used again without credit : being given to the creator of these beautiful lyrical forms. Mr. |Kroll’s figures under the trees and on the grass belong to this world most completely, but, because of these visions, the world seems to have been enriched and made innocent. In them it is [again the morning of life. We are under great obligations to the {artist who can practice such wizardry. "The trees, the skies, the | water, the textures of the clothing the figures wear, all appear to ~ Ihave been touched with exquisite and rare alchemy. { The planning of the scheme for the young people under the “ lorchard trees depends upon a square and a root five rectangle. “|The primary development of this area is a square applied to - \either end of the shape so that the two groups are woven about {jhe core of the overlap. This is the theme of the pattern. The accessory lines of action and form merely emphasize, or har- monize, the primary grouping. The simple lines of the land- scape take their place and constitute a veil of beautiful natural forms which emphasize the human groups. The picture called “Sleep” was a subject seen by the artist during the early morning of a hot summer’s day in Central Park in New York City. This picture won the most important prize at a recent exhibition of the National Academy. The qualities described in the other painting are just as apparent in this. The great buildings of the city, the trees of the park as | well as the sleepers,—all seem resting. The spirit of the early morning has been captured by the artist and colored by his | personality. Everything appears as clear and as fresh as the ase hy a; SARI ES Se He | morning itself. The plan of this picture was a 1.809 rectangle, as was that of the “Old Lady in Black” by Mr. Bellows. The theme grew out of a square and a diagonal line to the entire canvas shape. This #1) diagonal line cuts a side of the applied square where the weird [63] SEG EER — a RE RE eg DYNAMIC SYMMETRY looking tree stands, and is further emphasized by the standing | girl. By thus cutting a side of the major square, a similar figure to the whole 1s fixed within the area of the square. A side of this similar figure is stressed by the reclining figures of the woman | and the child. The trees and the buildings in the distance de- fine a rough horizon line at the top of the picture. This repeats the line of the reclining figures and adds to the harmony of the composition. : : { | [64] tanding { r figure | side of woman | nce ded] | repeats r of the | Altman Prize, National Academy of Design “Sleep,” by Leon Kroll, IN COMPOSITION . | CHAPTER VI 1 HEN I had succeeded in working out the principles of | | the root rectangles, I looked about for a name for the system. After a long and careful study of classic art I became : jeonvineed that its proportions, together with the methods of ot! ‘obtaining them, had been found, but I could get no hint about ! ancient terminology. When I had studied the matter from every = {possible angle, I selected the term Dynamic Symmetry as being ’ |most descriptive and appropriate. The reader may imagine my ~ lsurprise when, after teaching the principles and using the name for several years, both here and abroad, I discovered that the ~ term was the actual one that the Greeks had used. E [ In the beginning of the investigation of abstract form I had - Ibeen compelled to read mathematics, and particularly to study : | |geometry. The Greeks were the discoverers of this science as we know it and I felt it would be necessary to get back to what " |T conceived to be their mode of thought if anything fruitful were “Ito be recovered. At that time I did not understand the Greek : language so that my reading was confined to English translations. In these I found nothing of assistance in regard to terminology. Long afterward I was fortunate in being able to visit Greece and to become familiar with Greek temples at first hand. The task of checking measurements made by others and becoming satu- ~ {rated with the beauty of these ancient masterpieces was so great © |that I had scant time to devote to the language. But some of it one is bound to pick up when one hears hardly anything else. It chanced that after I had been back in America for a couple ~2lof years Howard Giles, the artist, was dining "with me one 4 evening. During our conversation he raised some point which I thought would be better explained by reading a passage from a, [67] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY history of geometry. I had not looked into such books for sev- eral years. . When I first read them I had skipped the Greek words. This ev ening, in the first paragraph I read, I recognized the Greek word for dynamic and a few pages away “dynamic sym- metry.” And the phrase was applied to the root rectangles. The situation flashed upon me. Here was a phrase which had remained hidden for over two thousand years. It had been coined by the ancient Greeks to describe the peculiarity of the root rectangles and now it was rediscovered. The term was meaningless to the translators because moderns have no equiva- lent thought. Our language is just that much poorer than the Greek. It did not take long, after this revelation, to dig out the passages in Greek history referring to the subject. I could hardly believe it true so I referred the matter to the most eminent Greek scholar and unprejudiced authority I knew, Dr. L. D. Caskey of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and im- patiently awaited his reply to a request for verification. When it came it confirmed my own conclusions in every way so I then felt assured that we had indeed recovered the actual phrase the Greeks used to describe these peculiar rectangles. Now that we have the historical authority for the use of these rectangles and an explanation of the most subtle and, admittedly, the most perfect proportions for design, it remains for the mod- ern artist to work out that interpretation of them which he may deem suitable for his personal practice. In dynamic symmetry we have a law of pattern making cap- able of infinite variation and adaptable to every conceivable need of all art, as far as proportion is concerned. The problem of application is most simple as the artist may confine himself to but one rectangle all his life, because its logical subdivisions and expansions in terms of itself are infinite and encompass all the possibilities of every other rectangle of the system. It remains to say a few words about the base of the scheme so [68] le Sey- Greek ed the sym- ngles. h had been of the n was uiva- in the it the dl im- e the these edly, may por need n of f to and the mod- ! o the Knew, | IN COMPOSITION that the artist may obtain as clear an idea as possible about what he does. Undoubtedly all the operations necessary for sym- metry are most easily accomplished with the aid of arithmetic, ' although it is fundamentally a geometric process, and it is doubt- ful whether the ancient craftsmen knew as much about figuring as we do. "They may have confined themselves entirely to strings and pins. We know, from the work of the ancient Egyptians, that it was customary with them to cover the surface of a pictorial composi- tion with squares and; probably, in the very beginnings of art, these squares were regarded as so many units of area and may have been the only proportional scheme used. As the skill of the artists increased they seemed to have changed their practice of fixing proportions and adopted a scheme of areas based upon the diagonals of a square or squares. From the works of ancient Greece we have an excellent illustration of this changing in the | creations of the Greek potter Tleson. He seems to have first Vhen ] then | i bhai. i fixed proportions statically by a square or squares and then changed to a diagonal to a square, that is, to root two. Once the change was made, however, advancement seems to have been rapid as we find in the work of another Greek, Nikosthenes, also a potter of this early date, the accomplishment of most of the higher subtleties of proportion of the root five rectangle, though, as a beginner, like Tleson, he appears to have known nothing but squares. As the highest form of symmetry is based upon a diagonal to two squares, it is extremely easy to fix this type as it makes no difference whether we begin with two squares or one. In the latter case the square is merely divided into two equal parts. Each of these parts is, of course, composed of two squares. If a diagonal to half a square is used as a side and a side of the major square as an end to make a rectangle, that area is com- posed of two root five rectangles, that is, it is the area of the can- vas used by Mr. Bellows for his picture Eleanor, Jean and Anna. [69] a ® ay ha ot hry ow an bigar ® dud pe ond le bes 20 DYNAMIC SYMMETRY Dynamic propor tions, as compared with static proportions, | t.e., the division of arcas into simple multiples and even fraction parts, are much more subtle and more truly represent the facts of natural form. In addition to showing that the entire phe- nomena of leaf distribution are affected by the dynamic propor- tions, Professor Arthur Church of Oxford University has re- cently pointed to the fact that the flora of the sca apparently obeys the same law. It seems to be nature’s proportion par eq- cellence as it was that of the best Greek art. It will probably not be out of place here to subdivide a dy- namic rectangle to point out wherein it differs from the static type. As has been explained the dynamic type depends upen the use of a diagonal to two squares. or x - wi? \ A root four rectangle and its diagonal A root five rectangle Fi. 6 The root four area equals two squares. Numerical value 2. The root five arca equals two squares plus the difference between a side of two squares and their diagonal. The numerical value is 2.236. » Aid be Bx Fre. 7 The root five rectangle in a square AB equals one half of BC, the square. Half of a square is composed of two squares. On the diagonal line DE make EF equal EB. | [70] tions, ional facts ypor- 5 Te- ntly r ex- atic tt tm es le mt Ms ee eatin { phe- tdy-": | the { IN COMPOSITION Through F draw GH parallel to DC. GB is a root five rectangle. This is the area scheme used by Miss Herter for her painting of the Kneisel Quartet. ¥, ™ Ee lats ies 2h wine a iale j, 3 Ale ivintaivicii]- isin aie nia o 2 < BD Fic. 8 CD is a diagonal line to the two squares AB. Use this diagonal line CD to find the point I and complete the rectangle FB. This area is composed of two root five rectangles and, turned the other way, is the area of the canvas used by Mr. Bellows, referred to above. It may not be out of place to repeat that all the rectangles of the system are derived from the root five area. The phenomena of leaf distribution are connected with a ratio which the late Greeks at least thought very much about, though there is no evidence that they knew anything about leaf adjust- ment. This proportion results from the cutting of a line in ex- treme and mean proporticn called by Plato “The Section.” The numerical value of this proportion 1s 1.618 or .618 to 1. Either may be used as one is the reciprocal of the other. Euclid, in his Thirteenth Book, shows us how to construct a root five rectangle, and this construction also illustrates the .618 area. It is equivalent to drawing a square in a semicircle as in the diagram. AB is a square in a semicircle ACD. It is made by bisecting a side of the square, as at E, and using a diagonal of one half of AB as a radius. [71] ifs sr I no " | § DYNAMIC SYMMETRY Euclid fixes the square in a given semicircle by drawing a line equal in length to CD, at right angles to it at C. E is midway between C and D. A line from E to H cuts the semicircle at A and permits the drawing of the square AB. . The dotted line shows the completion of the rectangle FD. Hy 1 > . 1 ‘ ’ ' r ‘ ’ > . . @ ~ . ’, ”, -’ ~ »” ref cm mmo Fic. 9 This is a root five area. CA is a .618 rectangle; FB is a 1. 618 area, of which CA is a reciprocal. BG is also a recipr sunt of AD. Thus a root five rectangle is composed of a 1.618 rectangle AD or FB plus a reciprocal, CA or BG; numerically, 1.618 plus .618 2.236. of : the 2 the = nan the 5 a line ual 4 tion a, est- bit- -— —— ‘ =o IN COMPOSITION Let a of the diagram be a square with its area subdivided statically, say 3 by 5. b is also a square but subdivided dynamically. This can be done in many ways and to any desired extent, but the simple division will probably be sufficient. f= = = a ale - -o pido F16. 10 It is obvious that there is a subtlety in b which @ does not pos- sess. But the balance inherent in b 1s no less actual than that in ¥ a. The indications are that it is in reality a balance of a higher oi order or it would hardly be found so persistent in natural phe- nomena. 3 The extreme and mean proportion has caused considerable stir in the world, as its history shows, but there is no evidence that it is artistically better than any other dynamic shape. It is bound to appear along with many others whenever a rectangle of the system is subdivided. Apparently the Greek artists recognized . this as there are very few classic designs wherein it appears alone. It was stressed in Plato’s time as the term “The Section” shows, but then Plato had an ‘ideal” triangle, the half of a root three rectangle. The philosopher must have been rather alone in this choice. Certainly the artists had no such preference for an “ideal” triangle, if we may judge by their work. Of all the examples which have survived, there are but a few root three pro- portions, less than any of the others. As a matter of fact Plato’s date is late. He came after the flowering of Greek art. The plant had matured and was ap- proaching decay. Perhaps the Greeks of the time were conscious [73] iE ATEN oad Si SRLS me a C o 3 © be p oa Bi { 7 by ¥ Ack. DYNAMIC SYMMETRY of the decline and were trying to formulate something of the glory of the past. After Plato the classic world entered what is known as the Hellenistic period, and the center of what vital art production there was moved from Athens. One of the most notable new places was the Island of Rhodes. There was produced that peculiarly complete masterpiece the Victory of Samothrace, now in the Louvre. The modern world has been much confused about Greek art. The cause of this probably is due to the fact that writers have been mostly archaologists and not artists. These writers have their valued place, but certainly it is not as reliable appreciators of the fine arts. A few have ability in this direction, but most are searchers and classifiers and are woefully lacking when they go outside of their special field. In my opinion the phase of Greek art which should have the most influence with us is what is known as the transitional period, about 475 B.c. A generation of men came about this time whose activities were marvellous. It was then that classic art, as we understand it, was budding and preparing for the later flowering. They were throwing off the restrictions of the archaic period; they had learned much about the correct proportions of the hu- man figure and were progressing toward an appreciation of the most subtle and most exquisite harmonies of form. The text- books and the histories with which we are familiar supply us with scant knowledge of this epochal period. They give us rather a surfeit of the productions of the culmination of the classic period, those masterpieces which show us a completion of a great artistic impulse, and for that very reason supply us with no hint of processes. The artist needs to know the beginnings and the transitions. From them he can guess what the perfection would be. The struggles, the successes, and the failures are more illu- minating than the accomplishment of perfection. He finds in these the proper food for his artistic passions. He can fail with the failures and taste success with the successes. The transition [74] pa the on ew ow sed ts. as his nd, at vet he DSe i IN COMPOSITION from a lower to a higher accomplishment is always throbbing with life because it always has promise before it and solved prob- lems behind it. I had this in mind when I was in Greece and succeeded in ob- taining a good photographic record of the surviving things which I thought might prove helpful to students. I noticed that official pictures were almost always uninteresting. The unusual and less obvious point of view was never selected. When an adequate demand is created I will put these photographs in printed form. 2 L751] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY CHAPTER VII HE artist, because of his absorption in his work and the demands upon his time, cannot be expected to familiarize himself with all the phases of dynamic symmetry. It is reason- able to suppose, however, that he will acquaint himself with some of the basic constructions. If he is a designer, he ought to investi- gate the peculiar combinations of area which properly belong to his work. If a painter, he will be interested in the placing of the larger elements of form which concern his compositions. He will try to avoid the hackneyed arrangements of the past and en- deavor to discover new adjustments of pattern according to his | feeling and disposition. His guide in this will be some important and direct line which his composition supplies and then he will knit together all other elements in terms of this, introducing dis- cords only as they seem to be demanded to avoid a too harmonious ensemble. Sa It has long been a practice of the studios and schools to de- velop in a picture what has been called “continuity of line,” that is, the picking up of some leading line of the composition by some secondary line which seems to carry on the first. The composi- tions of Burne-Jones furnish plenty of examples of this charac- ter. It is a practice, however, to avoid as the plague. It in- variably ends in oversweetness. Resort to it indicates poverty of thought. It is one of the most obvious things to do, and obvious things in picture making are, generally, the weakest. The sur- prise, or the unexpected, if successful, is more effective. The essential thing is to arouse the inventive faculty of the artist, No unbreakable rules can be laid down as properly managed relativity can change any effect. Dynamic symmetry is an impersonal matter, like perspective, and belongs to the [76] larize lason- some ng to »f the e will > will : dis- hious some; | berly vesti- | 1 en-: o his rtant:: D oo | that: posi- Arac-: | 4 x t 1n- Ly of y10us sur-- F the etry. IN COMPOSITION technical sciences. Robert Henri puts the matter very clearly in the following letter: . Dear Mr. Havana] am glad to know that you have a book in hand which will deal with the practical use of the root rectangles and the .618 rectangle in picture making and sculpture. d the There are many who shudder when science and art are mriioned in the same ‘breath, but it happens that art is composed of two parts—one is imagination, the cause, and the other is expression, a science which men struggle a lifetime to capture. | We know that the medium for expression in art is proportion, and that the quality of our constructions” depends upon our knowledge of the relative values ° of such proportions as we use. Undoubtedly the more we have this knowledge at our fngerd tips the less we will be handicapped by it and the freer we will be with all our imaginings. I hail your new book as a further adventure in the field which you have ;already opened for mie and made so exciting, interesting and profitable. Sincerely, \ Lory 15, 1923. Roser HENHI My. Henri is one of those rare artists who do not regard them- selves as too old to learn. He was a member of the first group | that took up the subject of symmetry. I happened to mention, during a lecture one evening, that if I thought some one had ‘knowledge which I thought I ought to have I would camp on his £ | doorstep, if necessary, to get it. When I arrived at the studio the next lecture evening, I found Myr. Henri sitting on the doorstep waiting, with a drawing board land “TIT” square under his arm. His greeting was: I. #*You'see'l Dave taken your remark to heart. I am camping jon your doorstep.” 1 1 The field for the application of this symmetry is very large. I ‘expect that in a short time it will be employed in every depart- {ment of design. Indeed, its use now is far and wide. It is being ‘applied to furniture making, weaving, decoration generally, the designing of automobiles, porcelain and the creation of new pat- terns for all sorts of purposes. When we realize that there is na [77] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY aspect of form which man uses wherein it cannot be employed to advantage, some idea can be had of the possibilities for an overhauling of our conception of design. This country is witnessing a phenomenal activity in building, and, curiously, decorative painting 1s at an extremely low ebb. The opportunities for the younger artists in this direction seem limitless. Heretofore we have possessed nothing which would kindle the imaginations of our artists but the worn-out formule of the past, and these do not seem to apply to the conditions which confront us. A new point of view, a fresh slant, a technical hint of what fundamental requirements in this direction ought to be, will set the creative impulse free. Robert Henri told the writer recently that if he had some decorative painting to do dynamic symmetry would be the tool that would enable him to do his best. In planning a decorative composition for a room the artist must first obtain its complete dimensions accurately. If these are not provided, he will have to make measurements and reduce them to scale so as to get the entire area of the room before him. This is best done by regarding the interior as the inside of a box. On the four sides of the rectangle of the floor the four walls would be best laid like the four arms of a cross. This cross fits into a rectangle. If it is not dynamic, make it so by sacrificing some- thing of height or width of the four arms. These sacrificed strips may be covered by a part of a decoration of some kind. When the plan is thus fixed, it will be a simple matter to develop the patterns of the four walls as part of the overall rectangle. Thus the proportions of the entire room, and of its details, will become a unified scheme base. Of course if an entire building is con- structed on dynamic proportions, every room and all details will be logical parts of the major plan, and the work of the artist will be confined to specified areas and will be much simplified. There are many general ideas connected with his compositions which the artist will work out for himself to conform to effects he [78] { loyed DI an ding, ebb. seem vould mule ltions nical | the o do ® not im to This lome- ) the | will will ons ht to m to. must - 1 On: 1d be to a! rips Vhen | | Thus come con- 8] he IN COMPOSITION may wish to obtain. In some of the problems which he will thus encounter it will be well to be guided by analogous ideas suggested by other aspects of his creations which may be clearer to his mind. For example, when the diverse lines of a composi- tion need to be developed as a harmony, it will often be of assist- ance if they are regarded as resembling harmonies of color. A series of parallel lines will be more harmonious than a series placed at different angles. When it is not practicable to have parallel lines, it is often possible to arrange them so that they form slightly varying angles. Thus they may be used to empha- size another line and the whole made to constitute a harmony of a higher order. If, instead of a harmony, an effect of contrast is desired, it should be borne in mind that the maximum is secured by lines at right angles to each other and degrees of contrast strength are fixed by varying inclinations of lines. . Masses of color or form may be handled in something like the same manner. Lengths of lines or masses of form or Si may be made equal or broken according to a definite ratio. But these fictions must not be made too obvious. Curved lines, as well as straight ones, may be thus manipulated so-as to aid the design as a whole, but always bearing in mind that in art there is danger in overdoing anything. Lines and masses of a composition, like | the words of speech, may be completely negatived by overquali- fication, overmodification or overemphasis. It will frequently be helpful if the artist bears in mind this analogy between speech and design. If we wish to convey an idea by words, we must agree that the most forceful as well as the clearest way of doing i so will, generally, be the simplest and most direct. But it is ! possible to introduce so many qualifying and explanatory words | into a sentence that the idea we desire to express is completely | negativ ed. Thus it 1s with design. So much detail or so much auxiliary form may be included in a composition that subject | and action are vitiated. Witness the rococo art of Europe. Then, also, incessant qualification shows that the artist or the writer [79] —— DYNAMIC SYMMETRY is not clear in his own mind, and it is natural that haziness and | indecision should be communicated to the spectator or the reader. This very matter, I recall, was a subject of discussion in my class in New York, and George Bellows made a pertinent obser- vation. He said that, as possible subdivisions of a rectangle were in- finite, he had felt the need of a guide which would help to prevent overrefinement. This, he thought, would be secured by regarding a composition as being analyzable into primary, secondary and tertiary parts. These simple divisions would help the artist to hold himself in check and to control his expression. If he could not find a correlation for his design in any of the three divisions, it was probably a warning that he should stop, very carefully consider his progress and search for some means of unification, or simplification, which would enable him to return to the basic theme of his composition. This is a good corrective and, if carried out carefully and thoughtfully, would prevent many a disaster. Naturally many questions will arise in regard to the best way that the artist can take to familiarize himself with the rectangles of dynamic symmetry. The only answer I can make is to recount something of my own experience and practice. It was while I was amusing myself by a study of the convolutions of a shell that I first got the idea of reciprocal shape. Once this became clear I saw that it could be applied to the rectangles of design. A little experiment showed that there must exist rectangles such that their reciprocals were even multiples of the major area. Thus were the root rectangles rediscovered. That it was a rediscovery proved to be a fact as I found that the Greeks had been familiar with such areas also, and that the early Hindus had actually used them in temple building. Further search made it clear that there were a great many rectangles which could be obtained by logical divisions of the root forms. I realized that it would be an end- less task to work out such rectangles geometrically, so I had re- course to the aid of arithmetic. I took some of the simplest of [80] IN COMPOSITION = the areas, regarded their sides and ends as forming ratios and fixed upon a simple series of such ratios. These I analyzed until I became familiar with their composition. My process was, after I had fixed my attention upon a definite area, to split it up in many ways and study the process and the result. With the aid of a scale, and its units divided into tenths, I found it an easy matter to prove whatever steps were taken. I believe, however, that my practice does not furnish the best artistic guide. As the sym- metry point of view, at least as I regarded it, was entirely new, it was necessary to make a great many analyses to find some hint in regard to how the ancients may have used the rectangles. But this is not the way an artist proceeds with a creation. He is compelled to think synthetically, as he is building or putting to- gether rather than tearing asunder, and resolving something already created into its component parts. The symmetry ab- sjraction of a design will, naturally, be a form of geometry. Thus, if the artist dispenses with a small scale plan, the scheme of pattern will be drawn directly on the canvas. To accomplish this, no other tools are necessary than those the ancients probably used, namely, a string and a few pins. To-day, and on a stretched canvas, or on a drawing board, the pins will be thumb tacks. The canvas may be regarded as a rectangle and it will be an advantage if it can be made upon a definite dynamic proportion. This can- not be made very accurately, however, as the stretching of the canvas introduces an unknowable element, but, if necessary, errors can be hidden by the rabbet of the frame. As the artist begins to draw he will at once find it necessary to . use many curved lines. These, however, need cause no confusion as curves may be easily controlled by regarding them as touching tangent lines. A principle of growth, as we may note it in the ' twig and branch, will help to keep the curves in control. The tan- gent lines are at once reduced to equivalent curves with a remark- able degree of accuracy. The artist will find it profitable practice to try drawing curves against quasi tangents. A short trial will [81] DYNAMIC SYMMETRY show that there will be but one satisfactory curve which can be so defined and this will probably be the one desired. If points are on the tangent line to mark the place where the curve is to touch, it will soon be discovered that such points must be selected with some regard for the length of the straight line or the curve will not be continuous and flowing. By drawing these straight lines from point to point of definite area divisions of the major rectangle the curves can be easily made to appear as logical out- growths of that rectangle. In this connection see the curves about the head by Dr. Ross. Sculpture is another story and its treatment will require an- other volume. Design in painting is a two-dimensional problem and the aim is flat pattern. Design in sculpture is the symmetry of the solid. Remains of unfinished Greek statues show that it was an ancient practice to sketch elevations of a figure on two sides of a rectangular block of stone and to begin by sawing out sections. For the curved or rounded sections of the body a process of chamfering was employed. Proportions of the figure for sculpture can be fixed in two ways,—as a pattern on the surface of the prepared block, or by the actual proportions of the members of the body. The latter is the method for bronze work. The dynamic method of controlling form creation brings clearly to the front the problem of ideality. Is the artist to copy blindly what nature provides, or is he to select and endeavor to direct his creations so as to express some ideal? And if an ideal is it to be something out of his head, more or less defying nature’s possibilities, or is it to be an ideal suggested by nature? If the ancient Greeks are to be trusted, then it must be the ideal of nature. Man is hardly competent to defy nature in this. If he does, we know through bitter experience that his work is apt to end in a meaningless jumble. There will be nothing to give it form but the irrational whimsies of conceit. If regarded from this angle, the horrible freaks seen in recent exhibitions have an ex- [82] YNAMIC SYMMETRY 1 probably be the one desired. If points i to mark the place where the curve is to fiscovered that such points must be selected he length of the straight line or the curve and flowing. By drawing these straight int of definite area divisions of the major n be easily made to appear as logical out- ingle. Ross. Design in sculpture 1s the symmetry er 1. block of stone and to begin by sawing out {was employed. fig gure for sculpture can be fixed in two i the surface of the prepared block, or by : f the members of the body. The latter is ih ‘ovides, or is he to select and endeavor to {be an ideal suggested by nature? If the {ibe trusted, then it must be the ideal of P f competent to defy nature in this. If he iumble. » but one satisfactory curve which can be ¢ story and its tr Sabah will require an- in painting is a two-dimensional problem of unfinished Greek statues show that it. ie to sketch elevations of a figure on two ved or rounded sections of the body a of controlling form creation brings problem of ideality. Is the artist to copy s to express some ideal? And if an ideal of his head, more or less defying nature’s | bitter experience that his work is apt to There will be nothing to give it whimsies of conceit. If regarded from this tks scen in recent exhibitions have an ex-- ' {50 little design. —_— In this connection see the curves IN COMPOSITION planation. Man cannot disregard nature as he has not sufficient balance when divorced from it. The machinery of his own mind tears him asunder when the checking influence of nature is removed. The Greck point of view is the sanest and safest guide. To these early masters the ideal was what the real could become if extraneous details were eliminated and the main stem of growth followed. The modern conception of the ideal, probably, has been much influenced by the attitude to life of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance when the Madonna was a leading motif. "This ideal was unknown to the Greeks of the classic period. When we moderns get away from the influence of the Middle Ages, we are prone to fall back upon the pretty girl fallacy. The Greeks’ point of view is, probably, best exemplified by their attitude to women in art. This was the complete elimination of sex. "There ig something nobler than sex in art and the Greeks found it. . There is no such thing as sensuousness or sentimentality in classic This was a growth of the diseased and debased periods of later times. It is a monster that rears its vicious head in Prax- itelean and Alexandrian art. This is a phase of both art and life which was probably more closely allied to the harem, though it all came before the day of that institution. Itis something which banishes utterly all possibilities of nobility in woman either in life or in art. Praxiteles’ models were his mistresses. We do not hear of this sort of thing among the older men. It is unthinkable that the Lemnian Athena, for example, could evoke any but the noblest thought. The older Greeks, undoubtedly, were the most virile of men, but they kept their domestic relations and their amours out of their art. We get but an occasional echo of this noble attitude to life in later art. The Venus of Melos has a sensuous influence, while the Victory of Samothrace, although a Hellenistic work, is without a trace of it. Much of the weakness of modern art is due to too much sex, too much sentiment, and art. [83] U.C. BERKELEY LIBRAR wpm