Da Vinci’s striking masterpiece, the Mona Lisa is one of the most revered Artworks on the Planet.

Painted in 1503, it’s arguably the world’s most famous, and mysterious artwork, and to many it’s certainly the world’s most valuable pieces of cultural heritage. Artists say that no other painting resonates to the human mind so deeply. One of the most special things about this painting is that it follows the Golden Ratio Design System.

Painted by world renowned artist Da Vinci, the Mona Lisa was created using the Golden Ratio that is incorporated into many modern design system, a mathematical equation commonly found in nature that can be used to create organic and natural looking compositions that are easy on the eyes. Using the Golden Ratio harmonises your layout based on a timeless mathematical grid that ties together the smallest part with the largest to create a perfectly balanced ‘composition’

In fact, it’s not just the Mona Lisa that makes use of the Golden Ratio. Some of the world’s most beautiful art and architecture, from the pyramids to Salvador Dali’s masterpieces, from Notre Dame to the Taj Mahal, all have the Golden Ratio found within them.

The Golden Ratio as a system balances design in a visual system of perfect proportion, using principles found in nature, art, and architecture, to help people build balanced, harmonious designs, just like the Mona Lisa’s perfectly proportioned portraiture.

Currently in UX Design the Golden ratio is utilized in typography scales to colours, infographics to cards, it can also be used in flexible grids to align designs, regardless of screen size or device.

Fibonacci Numbers in Art and the Golden Ratio

Fibonacci numbers are linked to the golden ratio, a certain proportion that has influenced the art of our civilization since the dawn of Ancient Greek civilization. The golden ratio describes predictable patterns on everything from atomic structures to galactic formations we can see in the heavens. The ratio is derived from something called the Fibonacci sequence, its a kind of logic formalized after its Italian founder, Leonardo Fibonacci. 

The reason for the interest in this particular ratio was proven by mathematical values found in geometry. In 1509, it was known as The Divine Proportion’ a precise scale based on numbers that creates a harmonious and pleasing feeling.

A lot of artists have incorporated Fibonacci proportions into their works. Among the notable examples, there are:

• Salvador Dali’s The Sacrament of the Last Supper
• Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa
• Aphrodite of Cidos, Poseidon, and plus many other countless Ancient Greek sculptures
• Michelangelo’s Holy Family
• Rembrandt’s self-portrait

It’s all about Finding the Perfect Balance

When it comes to the Fibonacci numbers and the related golden ratio, they all aim for one thing which is balance.

It seems that both nature and human creativity aim to find that sweet spot and once they do, mathematics is there to provide a proper logic.

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