Various Attempts to Establish a Basic Form of Beauty: Experimental Aesthetics, Golden Section, and Square

Abstract

Several aspects of proportionality and non-empirical investigations of proportions are discussed. Most of these studies intended to establish a general type of pleasant forms of beauty. Objections against the empirical method are refuted although it is admitted that the feeling of the artist may be the best way to find the most beautiful solution. The major part of the article reports the empirical proof on the pleasantness of proportions based on the selections among ten different quadrangles (proportions from 1:1 to 5:2). The peak of pleasingness was found with the golden section rectangle (35%), based on the choices of 347 Ss. Data on preference for and rejection of rectangles, as well as details of Ss' reactions are reported. Musically defined proportions did not show any superiority over other kinds of proportion. The preference for the golden section, however, was not found in a task of dividing a vertical line. It is concluded that the importance of the golden section has been overemphasized.