December 2017
Intermediate to advanced
208 pages
3h 39m
English
Symmetry is a quality of ideal balance, where each half of a picture or sculpture is a perfect mirror image of the other. In art, symmetry is generally around a vertical axis, an arrangement known as “bilateral symmetry.”
Symmetrical images convey a sense of frontality and stability and can be powerful in creating a sense of presence. This quality has been used over the millennia in religious art.
The downside of symmetry is that its very stability can render it dull. This makes near-symmetry an attractive option: The eye is interested in images that promise symmetry but then deliver subtle differences between the two sides.
See also Balance • Religiosity
The Taj Mahal, 1632–1653.
The Taj Mahal is an architectural essay in quiet ...