Monday, April 1, 2013

A --- Aesthetic

It is the first of April and today for the first time,I become a part of  A to Z blog challenge.
Thank you Arlee Bird for putting up this wonderful blog challenge.

Aesthetics

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with nature of art , beauty and taste with the creation and appreciation of beauty.
Ever wondered why do certain things seem more beautiful than the others ? Any discussion about aesthetics is incomplete without a  special mention of  the Golden proportion.  
I recently came across an article stating that Aston-Martin,  has designed  the  new Rapid-s  car, from  boot to bonnet as per the Golden proportion. According to New York Times,

 “The golden ratio sits at the heart of every Aston Martin,” the company says. “Balanced from any angle, each exterior line of Rapide S works in concert and every proportion is precisely measured to create a lithe, pure form. 

What is the connection between Aesthetics and the Golden proportion ?
A visual form is most aesthetically pleasing when it possesses  golden mean proportions. Visual forms,natural or man made, have been found to confirm to this ratio, be it a beautiful flower such as  rose ...
                         
                                  OR..for that matter , a cauliflower with a proportionate whorl !




The Golden proportion has found its use in the world of art and architecture as well. Literature says that Leonardo da Vinci's  'Vtiruvian man' correlates ideal proportions in the human body to those in Geometry that Roman architect Vitruvius described in his book on architecture.
I am not into architecture ,neither do I claim an expertise in photography. Numbers are not my best of friends  and I reluctantly buried the idea of pursuing Architecture as my career choice after failing the practical entrance test long ago. 
However,faces intrigue me and I love smiles. I study faces and smiles daily and my profession as a Prosthodontist  allows me to do so.
The face forms the golden proportion, with eyes in the centre.The mouth and nose,the eyes and mouth, the width of the face between the zygoma to the width of the nose, all fit into the golden proportion. This according to experts is the secret to beauty. Anything that deviates from the golden ratio looks less appealing.



Facial proportions 
This universal  ratio is 1: 1.6 .The golden number is 'phi' and numerically it is 1.168.
When I learnt about smile designing,the first assignment I did was collecting photographs of hundreds of perfect and not so perfect smiles. Understanding the concept of aesthetics with the golden proportion as the stepping stone was easy ,so was creating smiles within the parameters of this magical ratio. Smile after beautiful smiles later, I grew sceptical ,when I was unable to exactly 'fit' into the golden concept and yet was able to achieve awesome results .
 Literature is agog with articles trashing the Golden proportion of aesthetics. Many have rubbished the concept as  fundamentally absurd .Beauty can not be confined to a number, they believe .Confusion prevails.... 
As Theodore cook said ,- "There is no short cut to the beautiful, no formula for the creation of the perfect."

A beautiful smile !
As for me, I love to observe, talk to my patient ,understand his ideas about his own smile ,make notes, and then reconstruct the smile . Golden proportion gives me that dependable base to build a wonderful smile. The final  aesthetic result  may or may not fit into the Golden proportion, but if it lights up a face and I get a  smile in return ,then I am in a happy space.

Even if aesthetics are not the mathematics of beauty, they are the proof of the calculation.
-Franz Grillparzer


A to Z Challenge [2013]

 Images :courtesy Google images

36 comments:

  1. Whoa! So cool. Never gave it another thought. Apparently you have. A very informed post Sharmila. You must be a professional something.....I am guessing ;) Hugs!

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  2. A very informative post. I think all smiles are beautiful when they radiate through the eyes. Dropping by from AtoZ

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    1. You said it !Thank you Suzy and welcome to my space.:)

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  3. A lovely post,read it with a happy smile. Best of luck for the challenge ahead.

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    1. Hey Sulekha,welcome to my tiny space and thanks for appreciating.

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  4. Very Informative ! I never knew about the golden proportion !
    But in Japan, most of the shrines are constructed keeping the natural beauty behind them in mind .. the angle of the hill, shape of the trees etc ..

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    1. When we look at the beauty of the nature,we do see a pattern ..don't we?

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  5. Wow! That was informative and interesting! :)

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  6. A very interesting read. I too am not sure I agree with the 'Golden proportion of aesthetics'. I once watched a TV program on it. I belong more to the 'beauty is in the eyes of the beholder' school of thought.

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    1. Thank you shail !As I mentioned,the Golden proportion can be taken as a starting point for building something.
      If you go to see,there is beauty in asymmetry too.

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  7. This was quite informative !! I never knew some thing called Golden proportion exists ;) Not sure If I meet them but I can now for sure say may be few things r more pleasing coz of this

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    1. Yes Afshan may be they are !Thank you for reading :)

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  8. Wow, this makes such interesting reading. I remember reading about the actor, Denzel Washington having a perfectly proportioned face. This makes so much sense.
    Looking forward to much more from you this month.

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    1. Hey thanks Corinne! This April is going to be special ..hope to live up to your expectations and mine too :)

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  9. wow- such an informative post ; keep sharing :)

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  10. Wow, fascinating. I agree though, there is something about a beautiful smile that has more to do with the happiness the person shows than any mathematical proportions.
    Rinelle Grey

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    1. Thank you Rinelle and a welcome to my space :)
      Yes,the most beautiful face or smile can look listless if the inner beauty does not show through.

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  11. Did learn something today...and, without considering the Golden Proportion, I can happily say...you have a beautiful smile...aesthetic and alluring :)

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  12. Only aesthetic I was mostly concerned with was alignment.

    I learnt so much today! :-)

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  13. Very nice. I hadn't read about he Golden Proportion before. That cauliflower is neat.

    Thanks Sharmila. Happy A to Z -ing!

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  14. Very nice. I hadn't read about he Golden Proportion before. That cauliflower is neat.

    Thanks Sharmila. Happy A to Z -ing!

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    1. Thank you Vidya.It is interesting to read the debate on the Golden ratio.

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  15. Fascinating post! I did know about the Golden rule, but you explained it very clearly! I'm sure there is some basis to it, because it's a question of visuals, which we may unconsciously be measuring!

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    1. Yes,the theory has been in use especially in the field of art,architecture and dentistry since a long time.Thank you Roshni and welcome to my space.

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  16. Informative and engaging read.
    AtoZChallenge has been very fruitful with reading posts like yours. Looking forward to more :)

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Nandana and it is nice to know you ..welcome here.A to Z is going to be amazing.

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  17. I had never heard of the Golden Proportion until I stopped by here, but that is pretty fascinating. I might have to throw that information at my friends pretty soon.

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    1. Thank you for reading and welcome to my space Kieron. Cite Kate Moss and Denzil Washington's examples for effect when you throw that info :)

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  18. Very informative post!

    Never thought about it and looked this way :)

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  19. Dan Brown had written about this Golden ration in one of his books. It was wonderful to know that things in nature adhere to this ration.

    I love Madhuri Dixit's smile..I am sure her face follows the golden ration. A smiling face is always wonderful to see and always seems radiant..

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    1. Hey L.P ,it has been a much discussed subject for decades for sure.You are right about a beautiful smile,it lights up a face instantly.

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