Comments on: Discovery of the Golden Ratio in Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam.”

By: Gary B Meisner

Gary B Meisner — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 04:01:49 +0000

In reply to Greg.

It’s possible that Michelangelo may have used intuition to get to a golden ratio on some of the illustrations shown in the article. Others though are so precise that it would be highly unlikely that it was just “backed into.” In particular “The Creation of Adam” and “The Drunkenness of Noah” have golden ratios that are precise to the pixel. And he wouldn’t need a tape measure. In the arts, it’s a very common practice to use a divider to measure proportions, and a golden ratio divider would make these types of composition decisions quick and easy.

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 15:17:42 +0000

Umm… In order to utilize the golden ratio, all Michelangelo would have needed was a tape measure (or a rope marked at equally spaced segments), and an understanding of the numeric value of the ratio (1.618). If he wanted to be precise, he had the ability to be precise. The builder of the great pyramid were able to align it to within 1/15 of a degree (4 minutes) to true north. Each of the sides also measure to within .2 meters of one another (at slightly over 230 m per side). What likely happened here is that Michelangelo had a vision in his mind that would be pleasing, had created other works with similarly pleasing dimensions, and ended up backing into a ratio ended up being similar to the golden ratio.

By: Weston Theoharis

Weston Theoharis — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 20:41:47 +0000

Such an interesting find in this article. So many other artists can be linked to the golden ratio.

By: kaa

kaa — Thu, 25 May 2017 02:57:08 +0000

Wow…. It is so surreal how many of man’s most famous pieces are being linked to the golden ratio.

By: Gary B Meisner

Gary B Meisner — Tue, 23 May 2017 04:38:24 +0000

In reply to hh. I agree that Michelangelo did in fact use the golden ratio in his composition of the Sistine Chapel. The primary point of the article is that the claims made this study should not have been based on images that have obvious and significant optical distortions. The issue isn't whether Michelangelo was accurate. This issue is that the methodology was not accurate.

By: hh

hh — Tue, 23 May 2017 03:00:09 +0000

I don’t think a slight difference in calculation is a substantial evidence to demonstrate that Michelangelo did not use Golden Ration in his artwork. Back to Renaissance, there wasn’t any tools or devices could be used to do an accurate calculation. So a little difference in measurement is understandable. Also, this famous artwork was painted on the ceiling, which means Michelangelo had to look up all the time. It’s easy to make a slight slant; especially the ceiling is long and wide. Moreover, mistakes were made when you paint; it was hard to consider the measurements and the beauty of the painting at the same time. What if Michelangelo wanted the body or the finger in a different angle or length to make the painting more real and harmonious? No matter how Michelangelo tried to show in his painting, his great achievement in art was undeniable.