Introduction

I plan to investigate Divine Proportion[1] in an effort to understand how we perceive. As indicated by photographer and author, Priva Hemenway, art is an experience of balance of the relationship of its parts to the whole; to perceive it as anything else is to miss its most fundamental component (92). Due to events in my life I find that I am inexplicitly drawn to the concept of Divine Proportion. As Hemenway states Divine Proportion is easily expressed in words, The whole is to the larger in exactly the same proportion as the larger is to the smaller (3). As I am faced with the challenges of my thesis I realize that I am creating a legacy for myself; this work is a part of who I am. Here I am, like so many before me contemplating the interconnectedness of life through simple patterns that are found throughout art, nature and science. It is my insatiable curiosity for knowledge and the desire to explore my art that leads me down this path.

According to Bruce Rawles,

In nature, we find patterns, designs and structures from the most minuscule particles, to expressions of life discernible by human eyes, to the greater cosmos. These inevitably follow geometrical archetypes, which reveal to us the nature of each form and its vibrational resonances. They are also symbolic of the underlying metaphysical principle of the inseparable relationship of the part to the whole. It is this principle of oneness underlying all geometry that permeates the architecture of all form in its myriad diversity (Sacred Geometry).

I am reminded of the principle of Gestalt where the whole is more than the sum of its parts. (Soegaard) The whole cannot be perceived by a simple addition of isolated parts; each part is influenced by those around it. Yet, at the same time, we have accepted certain standards of aesthetics that are imposed upon us through Divine Proportion. It is the idea that Jung called the Collective Unconscious[2] where by we tap into knowledge that is hereditary and inherent in our nature. I will explore this idea by examining Divine Proportion and the psychological principles of Gestalt; investigating the interconnectedness of patterns and shapes in our environment and how we perceive them.

I plan to show that it is a natural inherent phenomenon for us to group patterns in order to recognize structure in our universe. Patterns are the foundation for everything around us; the question is how do we perceive these patterns?

The visual component of my thesis will be a collection of compositions that will portray the above aforementioned concepts. For example, I will create a composition that expresses the Gestalt principle of figure/ground similar to “Circle Limit” by M. C. Escher. (mcescher.com) The idea is to have a working body of designs that can be used to study human perception with possible test subjects to see how they perceive said pieces. There have been many psychological studies conducted that research how we perceive. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)[3] and The Rorschach Test[4] use compositions to facilitate the assessment of information. I will base my test on existing test, but use the visual components that I create.

[1] The Divine Proportion merits all the names it is given: Divine Proportion, Golden Mean, Golden Proportion, Golden Section, Golden Ration, Sacred Cut. All these descriptions refer to the proportion that is mathematically described as Φ (Phi). Simply described, it is the relation, in perfect proportion, of the whole to its parts. (Hemenway,11).

[2] The collective unconscious is a part of the psyche which can be negatively distinguished from a personal unconscious by the fact that it does not, like the latter, owe its existence to personal experience and consequently is not a personal acquisition. While the personal unconscious is made up essentially of contents which have, at one time, been conscious, but which have disappeared from consciousness through having been forgotten or repressed, the contents of the collective unconscious have never been in consciousness, and therefore have never been individually acquired, but owe their existence exclusively to heredity. Whereas the personal unconscious consists for the most part of complexes, the content of the collective unconscious is made up essentially of archetypes.(Jung)

[3] The Thematic Apperception Test, or TAT, is a projective measure intended to evaluate a person's patterns of thought, attitudes, observational capacity, and emotional responses to ambiguous test materials. In the case of the TAT, the ambiguous materials consist of a set of cards that portray human figures in a variety of settings and situations. The subject is asked to tell the examiner a story about each card that includes the following elements: the event shown in the picture; what has led up to it; what the characters in the picture are feeling and thinking; and the outcome of the event.(minddisorders.com)

[4] The Rorschach technique, sometimes known as the Rorschach test or the inkblot test, is a projective personality assessment based on the test taker's reactions to a series of 10 inkblot pictures. The Rorschach technique is the most widely used projective psychological test. The Rorschach is used to help assess personality structure and identify emotional problems and mental disorders. Like other projective techniques, it is based on the principle that subjects viewing neutral, ambiguous stimuli will project their own personalities onto them, thereby revealing a variety of unconscious conflicts and motivations. (minddisorders.com)

Notes:

4 AU. "Rorschach technique."Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. 2007.
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3 AU. "Thematic Apperception Test."Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. 2007.
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1 Hemenway, Priya. Divine Proportions: Phi In Art, Nature, and Science. 1st. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2005.
2 Jung, Carl. “The Archetypes And The Collective Unconscious.” Timestar.org (DU) .

Works Cited:

Hemenway, Priya. Divine Proportions: Phi In Art, Nature, and Science. 1st. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2005.
Jung, Carl. “The Archetypes And The Collective Unconscious.” Timestar.org (DU) .
Rawles, Bruce. “Introduction to Sacred Geometry” Sacred Geometry.com (DU) .
Soegaard, Mads. “Gestalt principles of form perception.” Interaction-design.org (May 2008) .