Harmonic proportion and form in nature, art and architecture

Arts & Activities, May, 2005 by Jerome J. Hausman

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HARMONIC PROPORTION AND FORM IN NATURE, ART AND ARCHITECTURE (2003; $21.95), by Samuel Colman, edited and with a mathematical analysis by C. Arthur Coan. Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501.

"Proportion is a principle in Nature which is a purely mathematical one and to be rightly interpreted by man through the means of geometry; therefore geometry is not only the gateway to science but it is also a noble portal opening wide into the realms of art. Artists from ancient times to the present have been fascinated with the connections between art and mathematics. Many have speculated that there are mathematical explanations that underlie forms of beauty."

This is a book that will be of interest to some students at the high-school level. This would be especially the case for students fascinated by the ideas of mathematical correlation and modes of progression. Thinking about and projecting triangles and rectangles can be the source of speculative play. There are also interesting thoughts and speculations as we look to the images of crystallography, botany and biology. Patterns on the surfaces of rocks, plants, birds, fish and mammals can become the source of study, and then the creation of student work.--J.J.H. For information about this publication, circle No. 396 on the Reader Service Card.