Jay Hambidge & Charles Henry
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 369 691 SO 023 791 AUTHOR McWhinnie, Harold J. TITLE The Development of a Psychological Aesthetic: Jay Hambidge & Charles Henry. PUB DATE 91 NOTE 17p. PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Art; *Art Education; *Art History; *Artists; Higher Education; Interdisciplinary Approach; *Mathematics IDENTIFIERS Golden Section; *Greek Theory; *Hambidge (JaY); Hambidge (Mary Crovatt); Henry (Charles) ABSTRACT This article reviews several movements in late 19th and early 20th century art and psychological research that are related to the early Greek method of proportional analysis generally known as the Golden Section. The document discusses the work of the artist Jay Hambidge on the nature of Greek art and design and his thcory of dynamic symmetry. Hambidge and his wife, Mary, have been neglected by art historians because their efforts have not been seen as part of a larger development within the story of the modern movement. The view of Plato that states th., mathematical objects are intermediate between the ideas and the sensible world, reflect eternal relationships, and are separate from the external world, is contrasted to that of Aristotle that while mathematical objects are intermediate between ideal being and the sensible world, they cannot be deducted from an analysis of being, and have no separate existence. Interrelationships between art and science that can be related to the newest developments in science, computer graphics, and computer assisted design re examined. Relativity is seen as complex not because of the mathematics, but because of its novelty in providing a simpler view of the world. The emphasis of this research is on the continuity of research and ideas in the arts as well as the sciences from the past to the present. The second part of the document discusses the work of Charles Henry in the field of empirical or psychological aesthetics. (DK) *********************************;.A.%:c*:."i.**.A,...********************* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***************************************************************** The Development of a Psychological Aesthetic Jay Hambidge & Charles Henry, by Harold J. McWhinnie U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Design Department (MK e of Educahonat Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION Department of Curriculum and Instruction CENTER (ERIC) Thts document has been reprocwoed as University of Maryland frved from toe person or orgaruzabon College Park, MD 20742 origrnaling d Minor ChangeS hare been made to improve reproduchon ovahty Potelsot vtee, or Opinions staled m IntSdOCu ment do not neCessartly represent official OF RI poSthon or poItcy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MA ERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY M-CL\Th Spring 1991 Mt-LOt`1.-) TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC).- I Abstract: This article reviews several movementsin late 19th and early 20 century artand psychological research which are related to anearly Greek method of proportional analysis generally known as the GoldenSection. It will look at interrelationshipsof art and science that can berelated to the newest developmentsin science, in computer graphics, and in computerassisted design. The emphasis of thisresearch is upon the continuity of research andideas in the art as well as the sciencesfrom the past to the present. While the material in this essay is of ahistorical nature, it does relate to present concerns in a number offields in both science and art. It is partof an effort on the part of this writer to connectthe past and present and project intothe future. It deals therefore with three kinds oftime. Page 3 Introduction and Background work of Jay and Mary In doing the preparationfor material on the life and Hambidge, I have of necessity goreinto many widespread areasof interest. My relate studies have led me to areview of the followinggeneral topics as they would to my main task which wasthe development of theHambidge story. a. History of Greek mathematics b. Systems of ancient geometry c. Systems of symmetry d. Symmetry in art and science e. General development of artand science in the modern movement. These topics have beenexplored in various sectionsof my book, The Way Is Beauty.(1) The scope of that research was to place JayHambidge, his life and science. As a part of that work, within the mainstreamof 20th century art and issues which will be developed main project, I have come upwith a number of side of these separate essays on in a collection of separatearticles. Part of the purpose work themes relative tc theHambidge project will be tostimulate interest in the of this long neglectedAmerican artist and designer. Who is Jay Hambidge? who lived in the early yearsof our He was largely aself-taught artist and desizner century. (Death 1924) For abrief time, 1916-1923,his ideas on art and design were influential the talk of artistic circlesin New York and Boston.He wrote several books on the nature of Greek artanddesign.(2) Today he is probably best (3) remembered for his theory ofdynamic symmetry. 4 Page 4 .4 He died in 1924 and for the next50 years his wife Mary CrovattHambidge them to her work continued with his theoreticalinterests in Greek art and applied in fiber art and weaving at herstudio and artistic center inRabun Gap in Georgia.(4) Jay Hambidge and later iswife Mary always insisted thatGreece and "The Greek Way" was essential to their work.(5)Their library at the Center inRabun Gap, Geo,-gia was well stocked, not onlywith books on Greek Mathematicsbut with work on Greek philosophy,literature, mythology, and ancienthistory. So what was the nature of "TheGreek Way" which so influenced theHambidge's? I have felt the need to go into awide variety of these backgroundstudies since it was my geperal aimin this project to present notonly a comprehensive double for the basis of the portrait of this neglected andinteresting couple; by to account considerable neglect which bothsuffered during their lifetimesin subsequent history. I have come to believe that oneof the key reasons for thisneglect, is that no one has really looked at their efforts as apart of a largerdevelopment within the (6) History of the Modern Movement. Their efforts are mainly knownby some There examples from their writings and somelimited drawings of Greek artifacts. is much more to their joint story. The Classical Foundation is dominated The philosophical and technicalinterpretations of Greek mathematics by the clearly opposedviews of Plato and Aristocle.Plato taught that Page 5 .4 mathematical objects are intermediatebetween "the ideas" and the sensibleworld. The objects reflected eternalrelationships of their own, and were separatefrom (7) the external world which isdiscovered and not invented. Aristotle, while believing thatmathematical objects were intermediatebetween "ideal being" and the sensible world;held that they cannot be deductedfrom an analysis of being and have no separateexistence. They are abstracted fromthe sensible world. We shall see that artisticexpression based upon mathematical objects of necessity become abstract. A synthesis of these two basicworld views was undertaken by Euclid whosebasic work, The Elements seems to havebeen an eclectic wedding of Aristotle'smethod of demonstration with Plato's visionof ultimate reality. He firstworked at Alexandria, which as we shall see gavehim a contact with Egyptian sourcesfor the specific methods of mathematicalanalysis of ancient art. Euclid's workremained within the area of the exact sciencesfor he did not; as had Plato andAristotle, speculate upon the philosophicalbasis for his work. In 1902 Jay Hambidge went toLondon to study the work of ClassicalArt in the British Museum and to lecture on someof his ideas at the Royal Societyof (8) Architects. His main sources duringthis early period was the work ofPenrose (9) and the ideas of his fellow CanadianPeter Mc Arthur. When he returned from his London adventure, he clearlyformulated at least the basic outlinefor a quest that would assume the remaining21 years of his life. (21 is aFibonacci number.)(10) Page 6 Any consideration of the severalsystems for the measurementof ancient art and artifacts needs to carefullyconsider these important distinctionsin Greek philosophy and mathematics.Too often such systems havebecome overly speculative and Platonic andtheir findings have been oftenconsigned to mysticism and magic. The some extent,Jay's ideas met with the samefate. The more (II) (12) (13) Aristotlean orientate critics, such asBlake, Carpenter and Dinsmoor all accused Hambidge of being mystical.They dismissed his ideas as beinghighly speculative and non-scientific. An examination of theHambidge Library will reveal thatboth Jay and Mary Hambidge had a good grounding inClassical art and culture. Theyknew well the distinctions between the Platonicand the Aristotlean accountsof reality; the world both as actual and ideal. WhatJay Hambidge no doubt foundin the works of Euclid the analysis of works of artbut was a systematicand ordered approach to not only to their creation aswell. The early years of the20th century saw the publication of some of the basic textsand histories of Greekmathematics by Heath and other (4) scho1ars. There was in the first quarterof this century a great increasein the interest in ancient civilizations. Manymajor museum collections wereformed and brought to this country. Isodora Duncanand Ruth St. Denis were tobecome fascinated with (15) the Greek dance styles as a newdirection for modern dance. Mary Hambidge friend who would later would do some costumes of St.Denis in the 1930s and had a involved in the help to fund her center in RabunGap that was interested and Delphic festivals held at theJacobs Pillow Dance Center inthe 1930s. Mary Page 7 Hambidge had plans to hold Greek andGreek type dance and drama festivals ather center in Georgia. The modern movement in art design,dance, and music were built uponclassical foundations. They were not purely avant-garde movementswhich rejected all of the past, even if a times the artist's ownmanifestos would seem to imply the rejections of all that had gone the year 1900.