THE BEAUTY OF GOLDEN RATIO

Abstract

Background and Objectives: This academic article aims to compile and study the concept of the Golden Ratio, tracing its origins and its subsequent adaptations into various related concepts.

Methods: Information were gathered from books, research articles, and ideas related theoretical frameworks to the Golden Ratio.

Key Findings: This academic article highlights the importance and origins of the Golden Ratio, which began by Euclid applying geometric principles and based on observations of the proportions of the human body that grow perfectly. It also explores patterns found in nature—such as sunflowers, pine cones, and nautilus shells—whose growth structures align with the Golden Ratio. These observations led to: 1. Fibonacci Numbers, systematically formulated by the mathematician Fibonacci; 2. Canons, which refers to the Golden Ratio applied to the layout of book cover; 3. Rule of Thirds commonly used in arranging various elements in art and design; 4. Visual Centre, key element that draws and sustains the viewer’s attention. These four concepts can be applied in various contemporary art and design works.

Implications of the Study: This study clarifies the origins and importance of the Golden Ratio, as well as demonstrates the value of the structural relationships among numbers and geometric shapes in art and design with logical reasoning.

Conclusions and Future Study: Findings from the study reveal that the Golden Ratio serves as a fundamental element embedded in art and design. Scientists have suggested that proportions close to 1.6 are perceived as aesthetically pleasing and visually appealing. Adrian Bejan, a professor of mechanical engineering, and his team found that human eye can scan an image more quickly when it contains element of the Golden Ratio —possibly due to cognitive familiarity that reduces mental effort during appreciation. Utilizing the Golden Ratio leads everyone to believe in its beauty.

For future studies, the Golden Ratio can be examined in architecture, such as the Pyramids of Giza, the Parthenon, the Chartres Cathedral, and Notre-Dame Cathedral. The Golden Ratio can also be studied in art, including the Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man, and other works in the book "La Divina Proportione" illustrated by Leonardo da Vinci. In music, the compositions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart can be analyzed for the Golden Ratio. Today, the Golden Ratio has been adapted in many everyday objects, cars, credit cards, chairs, typography and various logos.