I probably shouldn’t
be using the word Balance after the latest election. Let’s ignore that by doing
some visual exercises. I’m always intrigued with the issue of “balance” in a
work of art (one of the Principles of Design, as you know). Everyone has seen a
work of art that isn’t the same on one side as it is on the other (asymmetrical
balance), but somehow it seems balanced at first glance. The following, except
for the first one, are up to you to decide which of the types of balance they
are! I’ll give my vote and you decide if I’m wrong.
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Ancient Guatemala, Zaculeu, Structure I, 200s–900s CE. Image © 2016 Davis Art Images. (8S-22037) |
I understand that the tenets of ancient Greek architecture
established the “classical canon” of balance, symmetry, and calm, blah blah
blah, but I don’t understand why art history books couldn’t use other examples
out there in the world to demonstrate symmetrical balance? After all, what is
more “classic” than the classic Mayan period (big circa 250 to 900s CE) in
central America?
Zaculeu, about 3.21 kilometers (2 miles) from Huehuetenango
in the Guatemala highlands was not as remarkable in architecture and artifacts
as the Lowland Mayan cities such as Kaminaljuyú. However, it was the capital
for the Mam Maya people (who still inhabit the area), and endured the longest
against the Spanish invasion under Pedro de Alvarado (1485–1541) until 1525!
Structure I dominated the Main Plaza in Zaculeu, and is the
largest (restored) structure in the city. It is a classical Mayan pyramidal
structure with eight superimpositions interrupted by a central ceremonial
stairway. It is a splendid example of symmetrical balance. And no, I don’t
believe that the ancient Egyptians sailed to Central America in papyrus boats
to teach the indigenous people how to build pyramids!
My vote: SYMMETRICAL BALANCE
I totally love the watercolors of Demuth, especially his views of Provincetown,
and these sort of mystic illustrations he did for the angst-ridden books of Henry
James. Initially trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Demuth had
already abandoned his academic training to concentrate on watercolors and
gouache before World War I (1914–1918). These were coming into their own as
stand-alone media, embraced by artists who experimented with modernism because
of their easy fluidity. Demuth ultimately became a master of water-based media
on a par with Winslow Homer (1836–1910) and John Singer Sargent (1856–1925).
Demuth's mature style was informed by Cubism he had seen at
the 1913 Armory Show of European modernism, and from his group of friends in
New York that included Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968), the pioneer Dadaist and
Surrealist, and Marsden Hartley (1877–1943), an American modernist who had
dabbled in non-objective abstraction after stays in Germany and Paris. Demuth’s
filmy watercolor layers in this work approximate the fragmentation of form of
Cubism, while conveying the story of the book.
At first look this may seem to be symmetrically balanced,
but closer inspection shows many digressions. The woman’s hat makes her figure
taller. The volcano on the right is lower than the town on the left. But,
there’s a nice pyramid between the two visitors and the oarsman with his oars.
My vote: APPROXIMATE SYMMETRY
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Papua New Guinea, Dance ornament, 1800s. Wood, turbo petholatus opercula (shell), pigment, 7 1/2" x 19" x 2 1/2" (19.1 x 48.3 x 6.4 cm). © Brooklyn Museum. (BMA-1613) |
Sculpture, painting, or carving adorns almost every object
of secular and ritual life. By decorating
each object in everyday life with art, it has been traditionally believed to
bring the world of the spirits into active participation with the world of
humans.
This ornament is tricky. A first squint would seem like
symmetrical balance, just like with the Demuth. Closer inspection however
reveals differently. It depicts a bird/animal seated on the fin of an elegantly
arced fish. The arc of the plume balances the arc of the fish differently, as
does the beak of the creature with the head of the fish.
My vote: APPROXIMATE SYMMETRY
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Seo Taek (active 1700s to early 1800s, Korea), Gibbon Family in Pine Tree. Ink on silk mounted as hanging scroll, 33 1/8" x 15 3/4" (84.1 x 40 cm). © Philadelphia Museum of Art. (PMA-6884) |
The earliest historical record of developed painting in
Korea is found on painted baskets from the first 100 years BCE. A more
substantial record of ancient Korean painting remains on the painted walls and
ceilings of tombs from the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BCE–668 CE). Those
paintings reflect Buddhist beliefs. During the Joseon period, Confucian beliefs
rivaled Buddhism in popularity, with an emphasis on scholarship and the
artist/scholar idea always part of Chinese art.
By the 1700s, peace in China and Japanese isolation brought
somewhat better conditions to Korea. Subtle elements of indigenous stylistic
variations reflect a greater degree of independence in Korea.
Little to nothing is known of this Joseon painter, but the
artist left us with a charming painting. The arrangement of the monkeys leads
the eye dead center, but it does not take away from the beautiful contrast of
positive and negative space. However, there are many elements in the tree and
monkeys that the negative space does not symmetrically balance.
So, my vote is: ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE
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Muhammad Rafi (active 1600s, Iran), Page of natsiliq calligraphy from a dispersed album. Ink, colors and gold leaf on paper, 7 7/8" x 4 3/8" (20 x 11.2 cm). © Brooklyn Museum. (BMA-565) |
The first flourishing of Islamic civilization occurred
between the 600s CE and 1600s, a period that saw the collapse of the Roman and
Byzantine Empires (ca. 450 CE and 1453,
respectively), and the rise of western European nation-states. By the 900s,
many regional Muslim powers had developed their own distinct artistic
traditions. Islamic artistic traditions differ from those in the West.
Art forms often considered “decorative” in the West—book
illustration, glass, metal and textiles—are the major forms of Islamic art.
Writing is particularly venerated as it is the means of revealing God’s word.
Its primacy as a decorative motif—calligraphy—in architecture is carried into
all art forms.
The Safavid period (1502–1736) in Iran is considered the
period of renaissance in all art forms, including calligraphy. Nastaliq
developed in Iran in the 1300s and 1400s. It is the most fluid and expressive
of the scripts. Nastaliq has very short verticals without any
"serifs," and deep curved horizontals. It slants to the right in
contrast to all the other styles which slant to the left.
The text reads: "May the world be as you desire, the
heavens your aid. May the Creator of the world be your protector. May all that
you do be according to your wish May the Lord of the World be your guardian.
The poor Muhammad Rafi' wrote this, mercy be upon him." Nothing is known
about Muhammad Rafi’.
Because the upper right and lower left corners sort of
balance each other, my vote for this page of calligraphy is: APPROXIMATE
SYMMETRY.
I guess APPROXIMATE SYMMETRY wins the day for me. As I said
before, you decide for yourself!
Correlations to Davis
programs: Explorations in Art Grade 2: 4.19; Explorations in Art Grade 3:
17-18 studio; Explorations in Art Grade 5: 4.Connections, 5.26, 6.36; A
Personal Journey: 4.2; Exploring Visual Design: 7; The Visual Experience: 8.7,
13.6, 14.2; Discovering Art History: 4.6, 4.7, 4.9
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