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By M.V.Ramakrishnan

Friday, March 9, 2018

Significant Aspects Of Symmetry In Art & Artistic Settings, Architecture & Artifacts


Here is the second of my three comprehensive essays on Symmetry, which have survived -- and will surely continue to survive -- the severe tests of time :- 

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THE HINDU
Sunday Magazine
11 December 1991 

Symmetry in art
   
     In the first part of this essay we had noted the widespread presence of symmetry in nature and science.  Transferring our attention to the field of art, we find the role of symmetry to be no less significant.  Like science, art also has its deepest roots in nature.  The earliest forms of art in human experience were apparently an endeavor to represent nature in rudimentary drawings or etchings on rocks, or in carvings of wood and stone -- picturing the prominent landmarks of nature, which include the physical forms of life. With such a spontaneous beginning, it was inevitable that the symmetry inherent in nature would be permanently imprinted on the artistic instinct and perspective of mankind.


     It is not therefore surprising that even after superior techniques of sculpture and painting  were developed with the progress of civilization, preoccupation with nature has continued to be a compelling element of art for many centuries.  The highly symmetrical form of the human body was captured in the superb marble sculpture of ancient Greece in an idealized manner, and artists of Imperial Rome had looked mainly to Greece for inspiration.  So exquisite is the symmetry of the statue of Venus de Milo (second or third century BC) that even an ordinary viewer with a little bit of imagination can visualize, in his or her own way, the lovely shape of the lady's missing arms which have been lost to the ravages of time.

     In terms of reposeful grace, this masterpiece of Greek art has a striking parallel in the nude figure of David sculptured by Michelangelo more than 1500 years later in Italy.  Indeed, the whole art of the Renaissance in the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe  -- whether in sculpture or painting -- reflected an intense nostalgia for the grace, beauty and symmetry of the classical art of ancient Greece and Rome. 

Conflicting trends


     Subsequent artistic trends in the West veering away from the instinctive affinity with nature were presumably the result of accumulated and growing intellectual ennui in the realm of art, particularly since the last quarter of the 19th century.  But even where artists have revolted against merely copying nature, they have not always sacrificed symmetry in the works they have created.

     It is true that there have been several artistic movements in which arbitrariness has been the predominant element -- such as Expressionism (Munch), Fauvism (Matisse), Cubism (Picasso, Braque),  Dada (Duchamp, Ernst), Surrealism (Ernst, Dali), and Abstract Expressionism (Pollock).  But there have also been parallel trends where even artists with unconventional attitudes did not give up their concern for harmony -- such as those belonging to movements like Realism (Courbet), Impressionism (Manet, Pissaro, Renoir), and Post-Impressionism (Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh).  There is fascinating symmetry in the severe straight lines and austere rectangles which figure in the abstract art of Mondrian.

     Moreover, the asymmetrical and anti-symmetrical elements of modern art have also tended to create their own brand of ennui in the artistic spirit :  and as the dawn of a new century draws closer, there seems to be a growing inclination among artists in the West to revert to less arbitrary styles.

     There is great symmetry to be found in the classical forms of Oriental art, whether Byzantine (Turkish-Roman), Greek Orthodox, Persian, Indian or Chinese.  In India, modern art styles have tended to copy bizarre and asymmetrical European models quite indiscriminately ; and by and large they have failed to make a forceful impact on the people, whose collective vision of the visual arts has always been rooted deeply in traditional concepts.  No wonder the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, which is supported by the Government at great cost, has only marginal relevance to the cultural life of the people.

Architecture and designs

     While symmetry can be devalued to some extent in the case of painting and sculpture, it is almost indispensable in architecture.  Buildings, bridges and other permanent constructions need to have a stable framework for retaining their forms ;  and stability in physical terms is invariably enhanced by symmetry in structure.  This is obviously the reason why, from the most ancient times to the present day, architects all over the world have generally tended to adopt symmetrical designs.  Architecture is concerned with engineering as well as aesthetics.  While science provides the foundation and the basic features of the framework, art prescribes the appearance which creates the visual impact and appeal of a structure :  and on both counts, symmetry happens to be a crucial factor. 

     Another area in which science and art have a common concern is that of industrial design.  Considerations of utility and engineering have an important bearing on the shape of innumerable products of modern industry ;  but the attractiveness of the package -- or of the shell enclosing mechanical, electric or electronic systems -- depends largely on its artistic value.  The design of a product may either be influenced by the preference of propsective consumers, or may be meant to influence their tastes ;  in either event, the designer usually faces questions of symmetry and visual appeal.  And in important functional matters like sreamlining an automobile body or devising a well-balanced internal mechanism, the engineer is vitally concerned with the connection between symmetry and efficiency.

Symmetry in settings


     When discussing painting and sculpture, we have so far referred to symmetry only in the sense of an artistic work displaying a symmetrical pattern, whether as a reflection of the symmetry which exists in nature, or in a different form altogether.  We must also observe the fact that when a faithful or even impressionistic image of a real object or person is created in a painting or sculpture, there is a symmetrical relationship between the subject and the work of art.  This aspect is more conspicuous in the case of photography, where the picture seeks to represent a subject or scene faithfully unless any deliberate distortions are introduced by manipulating the normal process itself.  And what is true of photography in this regard is also true of cinematography, TV transmission and video recording.

     In the case of cinema, there is a symmetrical link between the scene which is shot and the film, and between the film and the immensely magnified image on the screen.  Similarly, in a video recording there is a symmetrical link between the original scene  and the magnetic tape, and between the tape and the monitor screen.  In the case of live television, there is a direct symmetrical link between the image telecast and the one received, just as there is a symmetrical bond between inputs and outputs in the case of the telephone, telegraphy, gramaphone, sound-recording tape or compact disc. The continuing efforts of inventors to develop more and more sophisticated techniques -- with the ultimate objective of reproducing sound and vision with the highest fidelity -- are in fact a constant search for finding effective methods for achieving greater symmetry in the whole system.  

    There is, however, a serious paradox in the evolving situation.  The state of technology in cinema and television has already reached a very high level today ;  and the possibility of duplicating reality with still greater accuracy by deveoping perfect three-dimensional imagery creates the legitimate fear that it may only lead to a reduction in the artistic value of the viewer's experince.  This would mean that a delicate equilibrium which is conducive to artistic excellence may be lost, spoiling the symmetry of the whole equation. 


Decorations and artifacts

     Symmetry would seem to have been a basic element of decoration from the earliest times, whether in relation to objects of art or articles of utility ;  and by and large it continues to be so today.  In architecture, symmetry is found not only in the harmonious shape of a structure and its constituent parts, but in interior and exterior xevoration as well.  Thus, the symmetry visible in the arabesques, friezes, mosaics, frescos or stained glass of olden days is matched by the symmetry one sees in the carpets. mantels and chandeliers of more recent times, and in today's linoleum, wall-paper or even functional tiles.

     We have noted the relevance of symmetry in modern industrial products.  This is reminiscent of the symmetry which has generally charaterized the artifacts of human workmanship from pre-historic periods to the present times, through successive civilizations.  There is a compulsive urge in human nature to look for beauty in addition to utility even in things which are intended to serve ordinary purposes.  This calls for elegance and symmetry in curtains and carpets, cutlery and chinaware, cooling and washimg machines, and so on endlessly.  To what extent this need is actually satisfied by contemporary industrial culture geared to mass production is an issue which has to be studied separately.

                                                                    (to be continued)

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PostScript, 2018


Blending beauty and utility     

As I was writing the last paragraph of this essay in 1991,  I could hear loud echoes of the following thought expressed by Mr. P.N. Haksar, the distinguished Indian diplomat-turned-cultural-philosopher, a couple of years earlier :-

"It must be ensured that the cultural life of the individual, no less than that of the community, should seek to relate aesthetic fulfilment to the everyday activities of life.  Encouragement should be held out to creative activity which locates both beauty and utility in the artifacts of cultural as well as material production." 

A significant sequence of his profound reflections can be seen in my blog :  When & How Chairman Haksar Wrote His Monumental Essay On Art & Culture

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