Golden section Art Architecture

Students: Koumaditi Kleopatra Mpakogianni Christina Nikolaou Eirini

Golden Ratio The golden ratio is a special number approximately equal to 1.618. If you divide a line into two parts so that: the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part then you will have the golden ratio. The golden section is also a term that describes a unique measurement phenomenon in nature wherein the off-centered proportional finite value of about 5 to 8 represents a measurement with infinite values.

Many artists, architects and mathematicians believed (and still believing) this proportion is aesthetically pleasing. Mathematicians have studied the golden ratio because of its unique and interesting properties.

The Great Pyramids of Giza Mathematics in art was firstly used by the ancient Egyptians. It is almost certain that they used golden section to design their great Pyramids. If we take a cross section of the Great Pyramid, we get a right triangle, the so-called Egyptian Triangle. The ratio of the slant height of the pyramid (hypotenuse of the triangle) to the distance from ground center (half the base dimension) is 1.61804 ... which differs from phi by only one unit in the fifth decimal place. If we let the base dimension be 2 units, then the sides of the right triangle are in the proportion 1:sqrt(phi):phi and the pyramid has a height of sqrt(phi). 

The Parthenon The Parthenon is a temple which is dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena and it is located in Acropolis, Athens. Goddess Athena was considered to be protector of the town. Although it was constructed in 438 B.C, its decoration continued until 432 B.C.

Parthenon is the most important building of those which have survived of Classical Ages. It is considered to be built at the peak of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece and of Athenian democracy and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a programme of selective restoration and reconstruction to ensure the stability of the partially ruined structure.

Once its ruined triangular pediment is restored, ... the ancient temple fits almost precisely into a golden rectangle. Further classic subdivisions of the rectangle align perfectly with major architectural features of the structure.

Phidias The Greek sculptor Phidias sculpted many things including the bands of sculpture that run above the columns of the Parthenon. Even from the time of the Greeks, a rectangle whose sides are in the "golden proportion" has been known since it occurs naturally in some of the proportions of the Five Platonic. This rectangle is supposed to appear in many of the proportions of that famous ancient Greek temple in the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. The ratio phi took its name from the Greek sculptor Phidias because he used it frequently in his sculptures. Porch of Maidens

Great Mosque of Kairouan It was the first mosque existed in North Africa and it is the most famous. It was built by Uqba ibn Nafi in 670 A.D. in Tunisia. The researches have shown that the golden ratio is applicated in the design of the Mosque.