Monday, October 20, 2008
We are supposed to be Symmetrical, aren't we?
To the ancient Greeks, and in some schools of art, symmetry is equivalent to beauty. This maxim however does not truly relate to human beings. We are relatively balanced but on closer examination there are many differences from one side of our body to the other. This refers to our feet, hands, arms, legs, as well as trunk and
face. Asymmetry exists not only in length, size, color, location but also in function. No where is this more evident than in the
face. Our ears do not match, our
eyebrows lift and angle differently, even our eyes on careful inspection differ in roundness and aperture. The same applies to our lips, cheeks, jaws, not to mention function, such as talking where there is some preference to purse lips to one side. This is all good, since its the small differences, the asymmetry, that gives us our individual look and makes us interesting. If we were all completely symmetrical we would be as boring as a store shelf of porcelain dolls. Shakespeare, whose sonnets are some of the best poetry of enduring love, described his lady as being the most beautiful because of a slight imperfection in the form of a mole on one cheek. This imperfection made her facial beauty unique and human. Asymmetry is one of the essences of being human.
posted by Dr_Goldstein at 7:26 PM
0 Comments: