The Unravelling

When I was asked to create a piece for this Saturday's upcoming "Universe: the art of Existence" group show at Modern Eden my brain went into overdrive. There was so many ways to interpret the theme.

I guess rather than depicting space and celestial beings, I chose something to base my painting on that is encompassing of everything, the Golden Ratio is everywhere, from architecture, the galaxy, nature, and art.

The famous Golden Ratio has captivated mathematicians, artists, designers, and scientists for centuries. Also related to the Fibonacci sequence, its ubiquity and astounding functionality in nature suggests its importance as a fundamental characteristic of the Universe.

The Golden ratio was used to achieve balance and beauty in many Renaissance paintings and sculptures. Da Vinci himself used the Golden ratio to define all of the proportions in his Last Supper, including the dimensions of the table and the proportions of the walls and backgrounds. The Golden ratio also appears in da Vinci's Vitruvian Man and the Mona Lisa. Other artists who employed the Golden ratio include Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Seurat, and Salvador Dali.

In my painting, I chose to create a still life in the dutch golden age tradition. The nautilus shell presents one of the finest natural examples of a logarithmic spiral, although it does not exactly match the golden ratio like a golden spiral, it's the idea I wanted to get across instead. The golden ratio exists in calla lilies and roses which I chose to feature.

The piece is available at Modern Eden, please follow the link or contact the gallery for more information.

The Unravelling
"Still Life"
acrylic on gesso board, 2014
8 x 8 inches, 20.3 x 20.3 cm

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