asymmetry - symmetry

I have never been one for perfection as in “the ideal”. I think it comes from the fact that I limp when I walk and thus I’ve been forced to see the world in an asymmetrical way. Don’t misunderstand my intent here I search for perfection but am continually reminded that because of the human condition it is fleeting, ephemeral or temporal.
As an artist for example, I see the conditions for perfect composition but I realize that in the Golden Rule the criteria for perfection is based on how to make the viewer read the painting and not necessary balance as in a weigh scale.

As my own body is deformed by polio, defined by the ideal of perfect body, I’ve learned to love asymmetry. The wonky wheels, the broken, the not quite complete, all have formed affection with me. Myself being one, I have been a tireless crusader for imperfections beauty and value. Therefore, I can make a statement such as “I love my polio-withered leg as much as my very strong perfectly formed leg” (click to see image). These my two legs create a balance for me and remind me of our human condition.

Coy in my neighbour Hilda's pond.

So it comes to symmetry, I find what attracts me most is when indeed it comes about by coincidence, serendipitous almost an accident. This brings me to the two fish above which I photographed at exactly one of those moments of symmetry, while they swim past each other in the pond. They are in perfect symmetry, almost as though mirrors of each other, then in the blink of an eye they are not again; very satisfying to my eye and reassuring to my spirit. I think if we lived in a perfectly symmetrical world, it would be rather dull and lackluster. Sometimes we need the dull, the mundane, the serene, if only as a barometer to gauge the excitement of perfection. In other words, sometimes the little thing that people ignore as plain and simple can be the beautiful if only you spent enough time looking at it telling you that in its imperfection lies the truth of its beauty.

How does that apply to art? Well I find the characters in Breugel paintings much more compelling than the paintings of beautiful people such as Ingres. I admire that painters like Van Ruisdael always left the broken limb in their landscapes. I admire landscape painting that conveys both the beauty of creation but also the ferocity of nature. All of these types of work show beauty but also remind us of its temporality and our human condition. That to me is good art because it allows people to accept themselves for what they are. You can still see beauty but not feel measured by it. You can be beautiful in asymmetry - like me and my crippled leg, or a broken wing, or deadend limb.

GP