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Golden Ratio Essay

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The relation between science and art has been long lasting. The first scientific discipline that comes to mind is mathematics and specifically geometry. Before the scientific method of Bacon and the Renaissance we, mankind, had geometry earth measure. Geo + Metry and the Egyptians used it in the architecture of the Pyramids. Herodotus, the Ancient Greek historian wrote
"This king divided the land . . . so as to give each one a quadrangle of equal size and . . . on each imposing a tax. But everyone from whose part the river tore anything away . . . he sent overseers to measure out how much the land had become smaller, in order that the owner might pay on what was left . . . In this way, it appears to me, geometry originated, which passed …show more content…

Green line – From her hairline at the top of her forehead to the bottom of her upper foot.
Blue line – Her height, as measured from the middle of the feet to the top of her head at the back of the part in her hair.(Meisner, 2014)

The new knowledge of light, color and human anatomy prior to the 1700s along with the knowledge of the ancients helped Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo achieve a higher degree of artistry in their works. The use of sfumato was one. Instead of stark linear definition of shapes, something is left to the imagination by the hazy blurring of lines. It is said that the Mona Lisa displays this in the ds Vinci's’ use of sfumato for the corners of the eyes and mouth of Mona Lisa to elevate the mystery of her expression.(Phaidon, 2015).

Artists of the age became anatomists by necessity to reach a level of intuitive familiarity with the characteristics of the human body to ensure accurate renderings. The Florentine sculptor Baccio Bandinelli (1493-1560) wrote to a duke when seeking employment, “I will show you that I know how to dissect the brain, and also living men, as I have dissected dead ones to learn my art” (Bambach, 2002)

Baroque

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