SYMMETRY

Submitted by umaraja on Sun, 2011-09-18 06:36 My Gallery

HAI FRNZ,,while talking about symmetry many of our members hesitate in submitting kolams since they feel it lacks symmetry(including me),
well i have few questions about this symmetry,,,,

1. should a kolam be 100%symmetrical to enjoy?
2.does a non symmetrical kolam lack beauty?
3. is there any hard and fast rule in making kolams?

ur sincere views pls,,,,,

jkmrao

Sun, 2011-09-18 16:37

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D'Arcy Thompson wrote a wonderful book "On Growth and Form", available as a Dover publication under twenty dollars. He tried to explain the growth of many living things in mathematical terms. It is a remarkable book, easily understandable. In that book he says somewhere "God geomtrises." There is another book called Symmetry by Hermann Weyl. It is a summary of the lectures he gave once at Harvard in the early fifties. This is also easily understandable with very little mathematics. You can understand the book even by skipping it and has copious figures. In it he mentions that beauty is always associated with symmetry. For those who want to read, I have a pdf version and would gladly send it to anyone upon request. Even in the Hindu culture, all the nAgabandha patterns have four-fold symmetries and most of the yantras placed in pUjA have hexagonal symmetry. Symmetry is thus an essential part of many patterns. Of course, if we are painting a street scene, there is no symmetry and yet it can be beautiful. But for rangOlis, as we know, the symmetry is an essential part. Also, during the worship, one wants to offer the humanly possible best to God and in that way, symmetrical patterns have inherent beauty in them. Women are masters of these patterns for the simple reason that in olden days, rangOli and singing and stitching were the only artistic avenues open to women, who were mostly illiterate even in respectable families. They were prohibited from dancing. It is possible that my views may be biased as I spent a life time in the study of geometrical symmetry.

Regards! - mOhana

ammuchandhini

Sun, 2011-09-18 19:27

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Thanks a lot jkm sir for so much info shed upon symmetry...uma...glad that u brought out this topic for discussion as all of us r still in d learning process regarding symmetry....still amazed how rajamma mam brought out so much of this symmetry thing in her basic design-inspiration kolam done as a freehand design....