Principles of Western

Aesthetics Dr Amandeep Singh

Makkar, 27148
PAR306: :Aesthetics and Advanced Aspects of Indian Date: 02-01-2022
Music
Time: 10.00 am
Learning To understand the Principles of
Outcomes Western Aesthetics
 Do you know, what are the three basic
Think principles of greek aesthetics?
 Proportion
3 Principles of
Greek
Aesthetics
Movement

Balance
 Proportion

Plato Harmony

Unity
 Order

Aristotle Symmetry

Definiteness
 Proportion definition

• the relationship of one thing to

another in terms of quantity, size, or
number; ratio
Proportion
Esp. Architecture and Music

• In architecture, the primacy of

proportion is most clearly seen in
the cathedrals.
 Established by the Greeks and Romans

Reaffirmed during the Renaissance

nature and man as a model for design

Proportion a proportion so perfect they called it the

golden ratio

roughly 3:5 (Golden Rectangle)

• The golden rectangle is a rectangle whose sides are in the
golden ratio, that is (a + b)/a = a/b, where a is the width and
a + b is the length of the rectangle
 The Pythagoreans are credited as being the first
to study the relationships between numbers and
sounds.

certain pitches and proportions to be more

Proportion pleasing

Harmony has its origin in God; and therefore,

music designed to bring one closer to God must
be harmonious
 “The proportions that govern the
dimensions of Greek temples, the
intervals between the columns or
the relationships between the
Proportion various parts of the façade,
correspond to the same ratios that
govern musical intervals”
 The same principles of harmony
and proportion applied to all the
arts, although there were
differences in the way they were
Proportion applied. The numerical ratios,
however, were the same because
mathematical values are
immutable.
Movement What do you mean by movement?
  Movement is representative of the Unity
aspect, otherwise known as rhythm
Movement  each element being harmoniously related to
the last
  an initial phase of introduction and
preparation
 a second phase of opposition and
Movement complication
3 Stages  then a final one, the climax or catastrophe,
when the goal is reached
 there may also be a fourth,–the working out
of the consequences of this last
  the course of a story or a play from the
introduction of the characters and the
complication of the plot to the denouement or
solving of the problem

Movement  the development of a character in a novel from a

state of simplicity or innocence through storm and
Example stress into maturity or ruin
 the evolution of a sentiment in a sonnet towards its
final statement in the last line or two
 the melody, in its departure from the keynote, its
going forth and return; the career of a line.
Balance What do you mean by Balance?
 Balance simply refers to the equal
distribution of visual weight of
aesthetic elements in the space.
Aesthetic balance is the unity between
Balance elements which, while they oppose or
conflict with one another,
nevertheless need or supplement
each other
 in general terms balance refers to the
equilibrium of different elements
Balance refers to the use of artistic elements
such as line, texture, color, and form in
the creation of artworks in a way that
renders visual stability.
 Compositional Balance
Balance Volume Balance
in Music Instrument Balance