THE GOLDEN RECTANGLE IN ART
For over two thousand years artists and architects have used the Golden Rectangle as a form for their work. Its shape is said to be very pleasing to the eye.
A famous example is the Parthenon, built in Athens, Greece, in the fifth century B.C. Its dimensions could fit almost exactly inside a golden rectangle.
EXERCISE 2: Try to find a picture of the front of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, on the Internet. Print out a copy of the picture. Use a ruler to measure the length and the width. Divide the length by the width. Do you get a number close to 1.62 ?
This is a rough drawing of the Parthenon illustrating how its front takes the shape of a Golden Rectangle.
EXERCISE 3: Click below to view a copy of the painting The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci. The two figures in the painting divide it into four Golden Rectangles. See if you can discover these four rectangles.
http://musa.uffizi.firenze.it/Dipinti/leoannunc15.jpeg
