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The Elements of Dynamic Symmetry

1. Jay Hambidge teaches us the geometry of rectangles which can be applied to our compositions in the book “The Elements of Dynamic Symmetry.” This won’t show you how to construct a masterful composition, but it is a great reference for when you are using dynamic symmetry within your art. You can refer to it for the mathematical side of things dealing with root rectangle construction, area divisions, reciprocals, and compound root rectangles.

Public Domain PDF Download HERE.

The Painter’s Secret Geometry

2. This next book is by Charles Bouleau, called “The Painter’s Secret Geometry,” will provide an in-depth look at dynamic symmetry and how it was used in master paintings. He give’s great examples, but won’t really show you how to create your own masterpiece using the techniques he’s revealing.

Unfortunately there isn’t a Free PDF download, but it was just republished and you can find it on Amazon for a great price.

Dynamic Symmetry a Primer

3. The book, “Dynamic Symmetry a Primer,” by Christine Herter, follows in the footsteps of Jay Hambidge. Additionally, it has some really nice variations of dynamic symmetry armatures creating unique grids. She really shows how to utilize the square within a root rectangle to create a unique design. She also demonstrates how to create a unique design from the armature created within the rectangle. This specific construction of the dynamic symmetry grids wasn’t covered very much in Hambidge’s book, so it’s a great one to add to the collection.

This is another one of those rare books, but you can also find the printed version on Amazon. Any free PDF’s floating around out there violate copyright, so be aware, and give the artist proper support.

The Art of Composition

4. Another one for the dynamic symmetry book shelf is “The Art of Composition,” by Michel Jacob. He covers many of the same things that Hambidge covers, but less geometry and ratios, and more illustrations and grid overlays. He actually goes out of his way to not mention anything mathematical, which a lot of us artists can appreciate. Some other interesting dynamic symmetry tips he covers, is building different root rectangles inside of the square. Also, overlapping root rectangles within the square.

Some draw backs are the overly simplified illustrations. Granted, this book is pretty old, so they are better than nothing. It would be great to see them applied to master paintings.

One of the major portions of the book that I completely disagreed with is when he begins to teach that there is a “principle point of interest.” This principle point of interest (page 37) of the dynamic symmetry grid seems to change with each demonstration. This can cause some confusion with the reader. It has the dangerous potential of misleading the reader, and could have them creating generic images that resemble the rule of thirds. We don’t want to be lead down a dead end road.

We always must consider the whole composition, and not base the location of our subject on a dictated point. If we did, then we would easily disregard other important techniques for visual clarity like figure-ground relationship.

Additionally, some illustrations don’t reflect the lines he is overlaying onto them. On page 66 he shows a religious figure being locked into the verticals of two overlapping root twos. More important than this placement are the diagonals being created by the figure.

This is why master paintings would’ve been exceptional to show, because the figure would represent multiple design techniques, instead of concentrating on the placement. What I mean by this is the figure would look much better with an arabesque and some more negative space at the top (breathing room).

He also demonstrates the logarithmic spiral within an overlay, but it’s not perceived within the design (page 72). Visual perception is a huge part of design, that’s why it’s important to learn Gestalt pychology principles. If it’s supposedly designed in a certain way, but not perceived in this way by the viewer, then it’s missed it’s mark.

All around, it’s a great book for beginners to advance, and helps understand dynamic symmetry a lot better. There are some pitfalls to be aware of…especially if you are just learning about design, but I’ve covered most of them within this short review.

Public Domain PDF Download HERE.

SIDE NOTE: One other really cool coincidence I’d like to mention about Michel Jacobs book, is that on page 117 he shows how to draw the grid in perspective. This instantly reminded me of a great artist by the name of Scott Robertson (more further below).

This is an excerpt from Michel Jacobs book, which explains how he recommends transparent guides to painters. Holding the grid a few inches from their eyes allows them to see if their geometry is placed well. This isn’t what gave me the idea for camera grids (it was a story by Myron Barnstone explained above), but it’s certainly interesting to see that dynamic symmetry grids are still not readily accessible for the artist to take advantage of…over 90 years later.

Another interesting thing, is that Michel Jacobs believes artists are allowed to take shortcuts and use the tools to help them with their art. There’s nothing wrong with shortcuts if it helps you create more efficiently.

He’s not teaching artists to find the diagonals intuitively either. Not to say a grid always has to be used for everything the artist creates, but it’s not something they can throw away once reaching a certain level. Dynamic symmetry is important to the artist, just as the measuring tape is to the carpenter.

How to Draw

5. Here’s a bonus book I thought was worth mentioning, and it’s “How to Draw,” by Scott Robertson. If you enjoy drawing the dynamic symmetry grids, then you’ll probably like the line constructions he demonstrates. You can also take these line constructions and build really complex structures.

Robertson’s book, in turn, also reminds me of the bottle constructions we were assigned at The Barnstone Studios. Below, you can see some of my bottle constructions…very much like the basic designs in Robertson’s book.

Myron Barnstone DVD Series

6. This leads us to the final bonus, which isn’t a book, but quite amazing. It’s Myron Barnstone’s DVD series. He was my mentor, and within his videos he teaches dynamic symmetry with great authority. Myron covers the construction of the root rectangles, the armature, the phi rectangle, and the root two rectangle. He also digs deep into master paintings and demonstrates how dynamic symmetry was incorporated to create unity, movement, and rhythm. Check out his amazing videos if you ever get a chance!

Here’s a photo of Myron when I traveled to Maryland to conduct his interview, February 2015. Great memories!