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RECTANGLE PROPORTIONS IN COMPOSITION 33
during the past months the merits and demerits of various proposed shapes have been vigorously discussed.
Motion picture technic cannot be classified as belonging entirely to either the realm of art or that of science but is made up of many factors that fall within the category of applied science and many that are of an artistic nature. In a discussion of picture shape there are many mechanical arid optical requirements that should be considered but no attempt will be made to deal with these at this time. It is desired rather to call attention to one or two aspects of the problem which may be classified as artistic, or, since they are dealt with by a method of mathematical analysis, the term pseudoartistic might be more appropriate.
DYNAMIC AND STATIC SYMMETRY
A search through the literature of art shows that the question of rectangle proportions is one which has occupied the attention of many artists and that most exhaustive studies have been made in an effort to determine the rectangle shapes which may be considered satisfactory from the standpoint of pictorial composition and design. The literature on the subject is voluminous and it will be possible in this paper to give only a very brief summary of the conclusions reached by a number of eminent authorities in this field.
From the standpoint of pictorial composition and design, rectangles may be classified as of two general types, namely, (a) those exhibiting static symmetry, and (b) those exhibiting dynamic symmetry. Rectangles of the former class may be analyzed into series of squares. For instance, a rectangle having a height of 2 units and a width of 3 units may be analyzed into 6 equal square areas, while one having a height of 3 units and a width of 4 units may be analyzed into 12 equal squares. Such areas are considered by the artist to be more formal and of less merit from the aesthetic point of view than rectangles of dynamic symmetry type.
The proportion of the motion picture on standard 35 mm. film previous to the introduction of sound on film was 4 wide by 3 high. This is a rectangle belonging definitely to the static symmetry classification. Even previous to the introduction of sound and when the usual projected picture had the ratio of 1.33, many observers of artistic training had criticized the shape as not being particularly pleasing or well adapted to the requirements of best pictorial composition.