The Golden Ratio

Crate by Margaret Farrell Bruno

The “Girls Just Wanna Paint” Challenge this month was The Golden Ratio or The Golden Means. 

Here is a somewhat easy description of The Golden Ratio. Historically it is believed that many artists, including Leonardo Da Vinci and Michaelangelo employed the Golden Ratio in their compositions. 

I often wonder how many artists intuitively use the practice without realizing it. I often purposely use a  simpler form, the rule of thirds, when designing my compositions. And out of curiosity, I did look at some of my past paintings to see if they fell within the rules and was surprised at how many did or came close. 

Although I didn’t think I would enjoy this challenge, it was good practice to plot out my composition to the max. And it ended up being fun. I have to admit, I did not use a ruler to take exact mathematical measurements. 

Above is one Golden Ratio template. Also, if you look at the wine glass and  bottle of wine, the liquids within are in approximate thirds and the smallest book is tipped at a height down from the tallest book in approximately 1/3.