One of the most famous paintings in art history linked to the desire for the creation of the most pleasing and balanced image is The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Moorish buildings like Alhambra uses complex patterns made with reflection symmetry. Image via Examples of Symmetry ArtĪlmost at every scale, symmetry finds itself in architecture, be it in the external views of the buildings, layouts of different floor plans, or in the elaborate design of building elements, such as tile mosaics, or the arabesque patterns. While designers most often use the symmetrical balance, most painters tend to look towards the slight shifts that are available in inverted symmetry, near symmetry, biaxial symmetry, radial symmetry, and even asymmetry is used to place focus on one particular part or figure within the work. This could be achieved by the formula of the symmetrical balance, but also with the use of different types of symmetry that slightly move the elements within the picture to the left, right, to the bottom or up. One of the usually desirable characteristics of any composition, be it within an abstract piece or highly realistic painting, is balance. For the eye, the idea of balance and repetition that follows an identical rhythm is a place of rest and this type of image is easy to follow. Because of its very structured and equally proportioned nature, symmetrical balance is best suited for if the desired effect requires a sense of order, clarity, and consistency. It is a balance that is achieved by the arrangement of elements on both side of the center, in other words, the image would look identical on either side, formed through horizontal or vertical division. Symmetrical balance is also called formal balance because it employs a formula of the mirror image about vertical axes. Symmetry in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and most appealing proportion and balance.

The idea of symmetry art is possibly one of the most interesting ones to examine since it suggests the need of the painter to produce the most pleasing image for the eye, but it also showcases the desire to copy nature and to better understand, and in some cases, even manipulate with its laws.īut, what is happening in the art world today? Can we claim that there is such a thing as symmetry art and that symmetry, balance or even unbalanced compositions are so planned and thoroughly researched as they were in the past? The fusion of creativity and science and the understanding that the world is most easily understood through numbers, golden ratio, symmetry, balance, and proportion, influenced some of the major artworks in the past. Both focused their forces for the better understanding of the world yet the tools that they relied upon differed.

Since Romanticism, art divided itself into two streams, the one of logic and science and the other of pure expression.

4 types of symmetry in art