Golden Section Painting: Two Triangles and Rectangle

Dorothea Rockburne (American), Golden Section Painting: Two Triangles and Rectangle, 1974. 172.72 x 139.7 cm, linen, glue, gesso, blue chalk and clear varnish.

In a 1974 issue of New York Magazine, art critic Thomas B. Hess describes the precision with which Dorothea Rockburne employs the Golden Section (Golden Ratio) in her work: "[her] proportions figure out aritmetically as exactly 1/3,025th of an inch off a perfect Golden Section." Her use of this proportion dominates Hess's essay, and the fact that "Golden Section" begins the title of this painting further supports its inclusion in the corpus of art works that were based on the Golden Ratio.

Why was Rockburne drawn to this particular ratio? <Dorothea Rockburne: Working with the Golden Section>

Golden Section Painting: Triangle, Rectangle, Square (1974)

Golden Section Painting: Triangle, Small Square (1974)