Beauty in The Arts: Symmetry, Harmony, and Order

I have lived in a number of cultures. I say “cultures” and not countries or societies, as in each of the latter one can find shades of cultural inheritances, indigenous or adopted. My professional and artistic worlds have been influenced by how people perceive disease, harmony and beauty. For me those three sets of perceptions are intricately related in every culture I have found myself.

… I was reading an elegant essay by Crispin Sartwell in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy which is also on the Web (1). It is titled “Beauty” where the author explores the concept and understanding of beauty through the ages, from Greek, Hellenistic, and medieval philosophers, to reviewing key writings from 18th and 19th century philosophers including Burke, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer and Santayana. 

I found myself in familiar territory most of the time. While the appreciation of beauty is subjective, the representation of beauty is collective, hence incorporates attributes that are identified by many. For example, the concept of beauty was different than the one accepted in the Hellenistic period, and both are different from today’s definition of beauty. These differences are easily seen in visual artistic work (sculpture, painting, etc) but also in fashion.

What seems to be a common criterion across periods and cultures, however, is the concept of symmetry. Indeed, beauty seems to require a certain symmetry in form or thought to be recognized as such. Perhaps symmetry is also necessary for harmony (think Newtonian Laws or homeostasis) and eventually a pleasant quality of life and existence. 

A good summary is provided by Sartwell on this topic borrowing from the writings of the Roman architect Vitruvius. It reads: 

The ancient Roman architect Vitruvius gives as good a characterization of the classical conception as any, both in its complexities and, appropriately enough, in its underlying unity:

Architecture consists of Order, which in Greek is called taxis, and arrangement, which the Greeks name diathesis, and of Proportion and Symmetry and Decor and Distribution which in the Greeks is called oeconomia.

Order is the balanced adjustment of the details of the work separately, and as to the whole, the arrangement of the proportion with a view to a symmetrical result.

Proportion implies a graceful semblance: the suitable display of details in their context. This is attained when the details of the work are of a height suitable to their breadth, of a breadth suitable to their length; in a word, when everything has a symmetrical correspondence.

Symmetry also is the appropriate harmony arising out of the details of the work itself: the correspondence of each given detail to the form of the design as a whole. As in the human body, from cubit, foot, palm, inch and other small parts come the symmetric quality of eurhythmy.

I had never heard of Vitruvius, but realized that I somehow belong to the classical school when it comes to defining beauty! That self-discovery made my day.

… So I asked myself “have I unconsciously framed some of my photos to capture symmetry or even harmony?” It was a good weekend project to run through some boxes of printed photos and a few shoeboxes of film negatives…

Here is what I found:

Shakespeare Festival, Maryland. The 1960’s Nikkor-Q 180mm telephoto was wide open to capture movement on ASA 50 film. The two actors were engaged in a fight and the angle I captured emphasizes symmetry.

Madrid, Spain. Early morning in the street. The row of men on public benches reflects a certain order, and the body posture of the first gentleman reading the newspaper a certain serenity. 

Bilbao, Spain. Again, there is order but also a conversation. The posture of the dog adds a dimension of curiosity as to what is going on.

Paris, France. An ordinary gathering of youth around a pond in a park. The moment I saw the young woman being lifted up, I clicked compromising focusing accuracy. There is action, reflection, and again order in this photo.

Manassas, Virginia, USA. I am not sure what the drill was, but it was an introduction to the history of Civil War. The man’s uniform and the boys’ readiness to follow order has order but also the shadow of war and dis-order.

London, England. The mom was paying for a parking ticket, while showing her multi-tasking skills. I think the baby brings in the concept of beauty, along with the symmetry between the ticket machine and mom’s posture. Harmony perhaps?

… It was a fun introspective exercise to identify unconscious photographic compositions I have made over the years. I am sure there is more in the shoeboxes I caringly keep. But I had enough evidence to suggest that, without having knowledge of Vitruvius, my understanding of beauty follows the classic definition of order, symmetry, proportion and harmony.

September 25, 2016

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2016

(1) Sartwell, Crispin, "Beauty", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2014/entries/beauty/>.

The Web site is:

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/beauty/

Ships Dreaming of Seas

Patient, over-patient, is the captain of my ship.
The wind blows, and restless are the sails;
Even the rudder begs direction;
Yet quietly my captain awaits my silence.
And these, my mariners, who have heard the choir of the greater sea, they too have heard me patiently.
Now they shall wait no longer.
I am ready.

                        Gibran “The Prophet”

The sea, the ocean, their waves and the mercurial horizon have found their way to every artist’s heart and imagination. Ships have surrendered themselves to the vastness and mercy of tides and winds. Ports have given respite to these vessels and mariners but the call of the sea has always won.

A ship cannot call a port home.

… For years, my “ship” has been a simple 3 meter long kayak. It has explored seas, the shores of an ocean and numerous lakes. At water-level, I have seen cities look less attractive, trees taller and proud, and the flight of a heron most majestic. I do not solely rely on my memory, tough, as I always carry a camera with me.

That day, I decided to bring a 1938 Soviet FED camera with me into the port of Baltimore. It is a 35mm camera with a lot of history and small enough to fit in the pocket of my vest.  My goal on that afternoon was to come as close as possible to large ships and take photos from a water-level perspective.

Military Ships. These two, seen from below, are awe inspiring. They are like floating villages. The symmetry of how the two ships were anchored was enhanced by my being in a tiny kayak.

What we do not see. A mile away, I found myself in a ship repair area. I had never seen the underside of these large ships. The feeling of a “hanging ship” was a strange feeling – a ship out of water is a sad sight.

Here is my approach to the ship:

And how sad it looked to me…

Shipyard in Cape Town, South Africa. I was not in a kayak that day, yet even looking from above, a hanging ship looked as sad in South Africa as it did in Baltimore!

Happy Ship, Lake Cuomo, Italy. This one, a restaurant and bar upon the blue waters of the lake, gives a very different feeling from the above ones. It is surrounded by the snow capped Italian Alps, and is most inviting.

… … While Gibran’s Prophet knew that his mariners had heard the choir of the seas, I wanted to focus on the ships and "catch" them in various states of their being. And I am sure that neither my quiet approach in a kayak in Baltimore, nor a telephoto lens in South Africa or Italy disturbed their quiet times. 

September 24, 2016

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2016

The Art of Managing Timing

I have always found the concept of timing a central criterion for evaluating actions we take. As a health care professional, I have applied and promoted the axiom that quality of care is achieved by “doing the right thing, the right way, for the right person, at the right time”. In addition, there is an art in medicine that cannot be separated from the science (no matter how incomplete the latter is.)

As a photographer, the timing of a frame is as important for the quality of the outcome. And, the art in photography is expressed through aesthetics, as the medium of expression is primarily visual.

Eventually, timing is important for all of our acts and actions. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is a recipe for undesirable outcomes or acts. And, being with the right person, at the right place and right time can only result in memorable consequences.

… Back to photography. A colleague while showing me his recent photos of sunsets stated:

“I waited for hours and days for the right light. I wanted to capture that split second when all became harmony.”

To which I replied:

“Is that an aesthetic goal or a technical one?”

He scratched his head for a second and said:

“I do not know – I leave it to the buyer of my work to decide.”

… I have not pursued technical perfection in my photography. In fact, it is practically impossible to do so as a street photographer who has no luxury to frame, compose and wait for “all to become harmony”. My purpose has always been to be a story teller, as I have in my literary works. Yet, timing remains critical as both of us have to capture that split second scene, albeit while pursuing different goals.

So, I showed him a few of my scanned photos.

Maria Sharapova, US Open, NY, 2011. She is among the most photographed tennis player in the world. With my 1970s film camera and telephoto, it would have been foolish for me to try to take a photo comparable to ones modern day digital magic-boxes can do. My light-box (or dark-box) could only hope to find an unusual yet aesthetically pleasing composition of her. And, she is best known for her moments of “self-composure” when she regroups after critical points.

I tried to capture that iconic composure. The lens was wide open sacrificing detail to isolating her from the background.

Paris, France, 2009. I carried a Mamiya 645 medium format camera that day. Two American tourists, young women full of excitement for being in Paris, were approached by this man who, among other things, wanted to impress them with his athletic prowess. When I saw him jump once, I pointed my lens and clicked during his second jump. I did not crop the picture – his head was indeed not in the frame. And the feet, body posture and bewildered smile of the young women make the shot. For me, the aesthetics of the photo come from the old stones in the background and other passants’ debonair attitudes.

Mumbai, India, 1998. I stayed at a motel on the beach called “Sun & Sand” (yes, still remember the name…). One morning, before starting work, I was having tea while looking at the ocean when this family came by. A few minutes later he was throwing his daughter in the air. I had my Olympus OM-1 with me and took this quick shot. It was only a few minutes later that I understood why he was doing this: he had seen me and he came over asking for money for having “watched the show”…

Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, 2011. This was the year when “occupy” was the name of the movement. From Wall Street to the bank and cities themselves, there was a social movement in discontent of decision-makers’ perceived behaviors. The streets were filled with demonstrators that day so I took my bicycle to move around with ease. Also took my 1969 Nikon F for the ride. I did not want to take photos of demonstrations or demonstrators. This was the only picture I took.

It is technically very flawed as I had to stop my bicycle, rotate my camera from my back to my face, focus and click. Yet, aesthetically I got the two ladies in the positions I wanted regarding the letters on the banner and the photo tells the story of the times.

… So, technical, aesthetic and story-telling dimensions seem to find their way into the understanding and managing of the concept of timing. Eventually, I believe that the successful synthesis of these dimensions is elegance.

September 13, 2016

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2016