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Measuring Beauty in Art
By Hayam Al Sayed
13/01/2001
As humanity is a natural phenomenon on the universe created by the Almighty to inhabit and build the Earth, his means and tools of expression have been derived from the other natural phenomena around him. Humankind’s curiosity makes him observe the natural phenomena surrounding him, and in doing so, he uses all his senses, particularly sight, hearing and touch. This way, every innovative activity of humans follows the same pattern that nature follows in its universal system.
Definition of beauty:
- Beauty, good and right are one truth.
- Work is the thing that is described as good.
- Shape is the thing that is described as beautiful.
While people agree on the love of beauty, they differ on its definition. For instance, Plato says, “Beauty, good and right are one truth. What is based on wrong is not beautiful.” Some people object to Plato’s opinion and say that good is useful, but beauty is not necessarily useful. Besides, right is based on proof, and beauty needs no proof.
Aristotle differentiates between work and shape. In his opinion, work is what is described as good, but shape is what is described as beautiful.
The elements of aesthetic enjoyment:
“Art is the way to knowledge. A work of art is a special system that is useful to man just like philosophy and science. In fact, we do not start to appreciate the importance of art in the history of mankind until we see art very clearly. As a way to knowledge, art is equal to the other means by which man can understand what is around him.” Harriet Reid, Art and Society.
It is obvious that humankind responds to the natural shapes that are encountered by his senses in terms of their general shape, and then their surfaces and colors.
Harmony occurs as a result of the integration between these elements. This harmony leads to a sense of satisfaction, which we may describe as a “sense of beauty.” On the other hand, if this harmony in the relations between parts does not exist, we feel the opposite - a sense of dissatisfaction that we call “a sense of ugliness.”
Therefore, we can say that a sense of beauty is the natural response to harmonious and balanced relations between the components that make up the things we see.
As our feeling and memories are intermingled and interrelated in that manner, the colors that we see in a work of art may have psychological effects on us through these interrelations that we can barely sense.
“Color as seen by the eye and the illusion it creates are both necessary things in terms of their aesthetic effect.” Erwin Edman, Arts and Man.
The following are direct and essential elements in aesthetic enjoyment:
- vertical lines in Gothic art;
- horizontal lines that dominate the art of architecture in the Renaissance;
- vertical and horizontal lines in the drawings on Ancient Egyptian tombs;
- dancing lines in Greek decorative pottery;
- zigzag lines in Arabesque designs;
- and hard, solid lines in old portraits.
Spontaneous beauty:
The ability to look at nature and appreciate its aesthetic value is extremely important, not only in forming a general taste for beauty, but also because this ability contributes to developing an understanding of the laws that govern nature and that give nature its spontaneous beauty.
The language of plastic arts is derived from nature. Line, color, shade, light, texture, size and space are all things that we learn from our analytical study of nature. These elements have become the letters and words of plastic arts, just like the words used in poetry and literature, or the sounds of birds, wind and running water that make the basic elements on which we build music. The examples are many.
The word “line” has far-reaching implications. A line can be the edge, i.e. the place at which spaces are connected. It can also be the perimeter that surrounds a whole shape to define it, or it can be sculptural if it gives a sense of mass. It can also be used to beautify a surface.
The line asserts itself to achieve a spontaneous purpose of movement or affirm a certain element. The character of the line depends, in part, on the tool with which the line is made, be it a brush, a piece of chalk or any other kind of instrument. In buildings, the line depends on the artist’s character. Lines have a strong effect, and they contribute to the achievement of balance and harmony between the parts that comprise a picture. A smoothly curved line and a completely straight line equally contribute to our aesthetic enjoyment. There is no doubt that different lines, i.e. curved, straight, broken, thick, thin etc, have the same aesthetic effects of high and low tones.
Light and shade:
The technique of using light and shade is one of the best criteria in judging the quality and character of a work of art.
There are several terms in describing this element. Sometimes it is called “tone” which is a term used essentially in music. It is also called “value.” It represents the area between black and white, which comprises innumerable degrees of shade.
Light is a constantly changing phenomenon; it always varies in density and angle. This makes it difficult to represent it with something fixed like a line. That is why the process of shading was introduced, so that light graduates from stark white to pitch black. Therefore, when we use color, we can only represent light in such a realistic way so that it gives it complete clarity if we use degrees of black to create a contrast. However, this depends on the artist’s sensitivity in combining color.
Color:
It is one of the most exciting elements. It is a scientific element inasmuch as it is an organizational element. People’s sensitivity to color differs to a great extent. Some people can see only black and white and what is in between, while others may fail to see a particular color. Color enhances the process of sight, giving it strength, vitality and depth. When the eye sees an object, it gathers the components of it and assembles them through the moulds and shapes formulated by lines. Besides, bright, somber and complex colors have unique effects on the nervous system.
Texture:
Each material has a constructive genius that determines the quality of its surface. This genius is realized by color. It is interesting that the eye contributes to the appreciation of this genius, because rough surfaces create light and shade while smooth surfaces mean there is an absence of shades. Moreover, the reflection of light on certain fabrics, such as silk, gives an indication of their true feel when one is just looking at them. Color differs according to the surface on which it lies.
Surfaces differ greatly. There are many kinds of surfaces, including the hard, soft, rough, smooth, warm, cold, grained etc.
Area, mass and size:
All these elements are affiliated to the element of geometry. Naturally, areas have two dimensions and their most common forms are the square, the circle and the rectangle. A mass is a three-dimensional form. These forms can be very small at times. By using light and dark lines and colors, an artist can create areas with which he can manipulate his design at will.
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