Perfection,Between reality and fantasy

According to dictionary, perfection is the quality or state of being complete so that nothing requisite is wanting, it’s also the highest attainable state or degree of excellence and an ideal faultlessness. 

We usually integrate perfection in our debate, to express our fascination about a certain building, a shape, or even a person. However, the perception of perfection may change from an individual to another. If so, what are the qualities of perfection if we could perceive it? 

To answer my question, I will compare the perception of perfection from the earlier centuries starting from The ten books on architecture of Vitruvius.¹ where he talks about perfection in architecture, nature, but also the human body, Le Corbusier² vision in Towards modern architecture , in the modern area, and finally the Thesis of Gabrielle Piazza Patawaran.³ from the contemporary architecture who talks about perfection in architecture. 

Vitruvius expressed perfection in two different forms based on perfection in architecture and its relation to the perfection of the human body and nature. 

He first explained that, it’s not the architects alone that cannot in all matters reach perfection, but even men who individually practice specialties in the arts do not all attain to the highest point of merit, as in all the great variety of subjects, an individual cannot attain to perfection in each, because it is difficult in his power to take in and comprehend the general theories of them 

He sees perfection in architecture as order, arrangement, proportion, privacy symmetry, propriety, and economy, as an example he defines propriety as the perfection of style which comes when a work is authoritatively on approved principles. 

Propriety arises from usage when buildings having magnificent interiors are provided with elegant entrance -courts, whereas he sees symmetry as in the design of a temple that depends on symmetry, a principle of which must be most carefully observed by the architect. He also defined privacy as perfection in architecture by giving an example about private rooms that are those into which nobody has the right to enter without an invitation, such as bedrooms, dining rooms, bathrooms, and all others used for the like purposes. 

The common are those which of the people have a perfect right to enter, even without an invitation, yet this can be also related to the way the houses are planned on these principles to suit different classes of persons, under the subject of propriety there will be no room for criticism, for they will be arranged with convenience and perfection to suit every purpose.

When it comes to proportions, Vitruvius said “There is nothing to which an architect should devote more thoughts than to the exact proportions of his building with a reference to a certain part selected as a standard.” 4 

Vitruvius also explained that the terms of the architectural treatises originate in a different need of the art, give rise to obscurity of ideas from the unusual nature of the language. Hence, while the things themselves are not well known and their names not in common use, if besides this the principles are described in a very diffuse fashion without any attempt at consciences and explanation in a few clear sentences, such fullness and amplitude of treatment will be only an obstacle and will give the reader nothing but infinite notions. As he also says in his book “ A cube is a body with sides all equal breath and their surfaces perfectly square. “ 5 

According to Vitruvius in architecture, there are two points, the thing signified, and that which gives it its significance. The thing which is signified is the subject of which we may be speaking, and what which gives significance is a demonstration on a specific principle, which leads to a further point that’s is about department that Vitruvius defines as three department in architecture, the art of building the making of time pieces, and the construction of machinery. 

When it comes to perfection in human body, Vitruvius sees in human body, that there is a kind of symmetrical harmony between each organ, but also in relation with nature, The great variety in different things is a distribution due to nature, for even the human body which consists in part of the earthy, contains many kinds of juices, such as blood, milk, sweat, urine and tears. If all this variation of flavors is found in a small portion of the earthy, we should not be surprised to find in the great earth itself countless varieties of juices, through the veins of which the water runs, a becomes saturated with them before reaching the outlets of springs. “For the human body is so designed by nature that the face from the chin to the top of the forehead and the lowest roots of the hair is a tenth part of the whole height.”6 

He sees in nature the designer of the human body, by pointing that its members are correctly proportioned to the frame, “it appears that the ancients had good reason for their rule, that in perfect buildings the different members must be in exact symmetrical relations to the whole general scheme “7 

Finally, Vitruvius talked about perfection in art “Grateful to my parents…and for having taken care that I should be thought an art, and that of sort which cannot be brought to perfection without learning and a liberal education in all branches of instruction” 8 and other fields as: 

In music: 

The ancient architects, following in the footsteps of nature, perfected the ascending rows of seats in theatres from their investigations of the ascending voice, and by means according to the theory of the mathematicians and that of the musicians endeavored to make every voice uttered on the stage come with greater clearness and sweetness to the eye audience. These natural laws are followed by the skilled workmen who fashion musical instruments, in bringing them to the perfection of their proper concords. 

In colors: 

The artistic excellence which the ancients endeavored to attain by working hard and taking pains, is now attempted using colors and the brave show which they make, and expenditure by the employer prevents people from missing the artistic refinements that once lent authority to works. 

Purple which exceeds all the colors that were mentioned before.9 both in costliness and in the superiority of its delightful effect. 

Science: 

Due to the divine intelligence and is a very great wonder to all who reflect upon it, that the shadow of a gromon.10 (the projecting piece on a sundial that shows the time by the position of its shadow) at equinox is of one length in Athens, of another in Alexandria, of another in Rome and not the same at Piacenza or at other places in the world. He also explained that, the word “universe” means the general assemblage of all nature, and it also means the heaven that is made up of the constellations and the courses of the starts. 

As an end of my summary about the book Ten books on architecture, Vitruvius compared the ignorant interpretation of things by explaining that they would no longer run from disturbance with impunity, and men who are well qualified by an exact scientific training would unquestionably adopt the profession of architecture, by means of only educated people value the meaning of perfection and are able to perceive it.

The question of ‘perfection’ seems to be central to theories of modern architecture in the early twentieth-century and the concept of ‘perfection’ continues to ride just under the surface of many of our contemporary ideas about building. Le Corbusier’s theories of standardization, serialization and architectural progress from the 1920s and early 1930s seem infused with this idea of ‘perfection’ and its logical consequences. 

In Towards a New Architecture, Le Corbusier argues that the project of the modern architect should be the development of new ‘standards,’ or proto-types of structures, with the express purpose of achieving ‘perfection’ of design as the end result. It is this conception of perfection as something both attainable and desirable. 

“One commonplace among architects (the younger ones): the construction must be shown. 

Another commonplace among them: When a thing responds to a need, it is beautiful. But . . . to show the construction is all very well for an Arts and Crafts student who is anxious to prove his ability. The Almighty has clearly shown our wrists and our ankles, but there remains all the rest! 

When a thing responds to a need, it is not beautiful; it satisfies all one part of our mind, the primary part, without which there is no possibility or richer satisfaction, let us recover the right order of events . . . ARCHITECTURE is the art above all others which achieves a state of Platonic grandeur, mathematical order, speculation, the perception of the harmony which lies in emotional relationships. This is the aim of architecture.” 11 

This accidental quote seems to reveal more about Le Corbusier’s conception of ‘perfection’ than almost any other writing of his. He is asserting that the important element of study is not the physical, technical functioning of an object, but rather its theoretical development and its place in the abstract process of the search for the Essential. 

Whereas Gabrielle, talked in his thesis about perfection in forms and geometry, as he sees in circle and curved lines as perfect forms, by giving example of the classical orders 12 Doric, Ionic, Corinthian that motivated the definition of perfection. 

He further talked about the equal split of forms that start from a square and end with a circle as “For a set of three-dimensional shapes, using a cube as a starting point, there exist three orthogonally unique profiles to define each shape in the set. For a cube, three square profiles are used; for the sphere, three circular profiles. Each unique combination of three profiles describes one of 56 unique volumes. Furthermore, for each of the volumes defined this way, when split by planes crossing through the center of the volume in each of three Euclidian axes, subdivides into eight segments of one of four irreducible types: 1/8 cube, 1/8 cylinder, 1/8 groin vault, or 1/8 sphere. These parts can be recombined to build each of 56 shapes.” 13 

Going back to my initial question about the qualities of perfection if we could perceive it, I would start with a quote of Agnes Martin.14 who said “When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.” By means of perfection as an illusion of what we cannot achieve, catch yet, which will always be a mystery for us like beauty. 

From my previous summary about the ten books on architecture Vitruvius talked about perfection in the human body, and nature by referring to symmetry, and the combination of different juices. In architecture, he talked about the details and the right proportion, on the other hand Le Corbusier who expressed perfection in abstraction and in the process that leads to the result. Where Gabrielle also agrees about proportion in geometry as perfection. 

Another theory called waba-sabi 15 sees the imperfection perfection, and the uncomplete, complete, and that right the proportions aren’t what define the object perfection as we may think.

Therefore, if we can perceive the qualities of perfection, we would define them as symmetry, proportion, diversity, abstraction and imperfection, however these qualities are not rational, nor objective they come from different opinions and are applied to many different aspects that are not related to each other. 

Finally, I see perfection as a fantasy, that drives us to keep going and evolving good ideas, good design and beautiful art. Nonetheless, are we ready to surrender seeking perfection?