Why is art appealing to the eyes?

There is one art, no more no less, to do all things with artlessness. Piet Hein

In nature, you will find an infinite array of geometric shapes. These transforms from the small atom to the greatest of the spiral galaxies.

A few of nature’s geometric masterpieces include crystalline solids, snowflakes, the honeycomb of the bee, the arrangement of seeds on a sunflower, the spiral of the nautilus shell, spider webs, the regular polygons found in the basic shapes of many flowers, etc.

Although, geometry is the study of shapes such as circles, hexagons, pentagons, etc., the application of geometric cuts across a lot of fields.

The various outlines of the sun, moon, and planets are of circular forms. The outlines resulting from tossing a stone into a still pond, as well as the growth rings in the cross-section of tress, are other examples.

Geometrical patterns have been found in nature and in various art forms, e.g. Mandala designs used by the Indians for meditation and knots designs which are found in Africa, Scotland, Japanese, and Chinese as well.

Spatial relationships had been widely used by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Durer, and Raphael of Urbino in their realistic drawings.

This art was portrayed on canvas as though the various scenes are viewed through a window. These artists, therefore, turned to geometry for insights, techniques, and lessons for their drawings.

But, the most common geometric characteristic that is found in both nature and in art is symmetry. Symmetry connotes balance, harmony, and equal proportion.

Symmetrical objects include flowers, fish, birds, etc. Chambered nautilus and crystals grow symmetrically while the human body is term bilateral symmetry.

The appearance of symmetry in nature has made artists derive pleasure in creating symmetrical designs. And this has promoted visual symmetry in the arts and cultures around the world.

In fact, many companies use symmetrical designs for their corporate logos, and countries use symmetry in their flags. E.g. the Jamaica flag has two lines of symmetry.

Therefore, art is appealing to the eyes because of the use of symmetry and the proportion that is gotten from geometry as a whole.

We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry. Maria Mitchell.