The Golden Mean is a mathematical ratio called (Phi) = 1.618 discovered by the ancient Greeks who used it in the design of their buildings, and often found in the proportions of nature - in galaxies, the weather, and in seashells.
In art the spiral Golden Mean or Fibonacci Spiral and golden rectangle have been used widely to create pleasing compositions by the great masters such as Michelangelo and Leonardo, and also by artists of the 19th century, such as Georges Seurat who used them create their works -
The Rule of Thirds is a simplification of the Golden Mean, which divides a format into three, and places a point of interest in one of the dividing lines -
When I started this research I had some knowledge of these theories but found the Golden Mean complicated to apply. I tried to use the Rule of Thirds but wasn’t sure how effective it was and felt it was quite a simplistic way of trying to make a good composition. Now however, looking more closely at the examples, I can see the difference between them, and found videos of how to apply the Golden Mean in a painting composition which, though interesting was still rather daunting.
I thought that surely in this age of technology there had to be an App to simplify the process, and found one at last which I tried on my Through the Window exercise, when I felt needed an object on the window ledge to complete my composition. My research had led me to suppose, based on Dufy’s painting, that it should be in the centre, whereas my intuition was telling me it should be on the right-hand side, and I was pleased to find that using the Fibonacci Spiral suggestion of the App that was exactly where it should be. I haven't yet decided on a suitable object to add to the composition and I’m running out of time for my submission, but I'll keep thinking, and when I find it and have more time I’ll include my chosen object using the App’s suggestion -
References
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/golden-mean-in-art-328435
https://drawpaintacademy.com/rule-of-thirds-in-art/
https://www.goldennumber.net/art-composition-design/