Conclusions
In these ten case studies, the Golden Ratio is present at varying levels of artist intentionality:
- confirmed artist intentionality (Rockburne, Gu, Dali)
- plausible artist intentionality (Da Vinci)
- uncertain artist intentionality (Seurat, Parthenon, Burne-Jones, Polykleitos, Vermeer)
- denied artist intentionality (Mondrian)
This exploration of the Golden Ratio in art elucidates a good lesson in caution when ascribing artist intentionality. It is always worth investigating the artist's access to such knowledge, and their reasons for employing it in their work.
I hope that these ten case studies also remind the user to cast a discerning eye upon popular phenomena and the breathlessness that accompanies the "mysteries" of art.
Ukrainian parliament brawl, spring 2014
Similarly, proponents of the Golden Ratio's connection to art might be propelled by ulterior motives. Gary Meisner of goldennumber.net, for example, is sponsored by and the creator of "PhiMatrix Golden Ratio Design Software, available via his website for $19.99: http://www.goldennumber.net/phimatrix-golden-ratio-design-software/
One should also be aware of the fact that the Golden Ratio is primarily a Euro-American concept. It would be worth exploring the use and perceptions of this principle in the art of Asia (beyond Wenda Gu), Africa, South America, and elsewhere. When we speak of "an inherent beauty" in relation to the Golden Ratio, are we referring only to Western perceptions? Is "beauty" a universal concept?
Another factor to consider is how close to the value of Phi a work's measurements need to be in order to identify it as containing the Golden Ratio. This is but one of the ways that the exercise of identifying the Golden Ratio in Art is a subjective one. Indeed, these ten case studies demonstrate that even mathematics cannot escape subjectivity, or eliminate the complex nuances that rightly characterize the study of art history.