PART 1

FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.7
Scale and Proportion

Copyright © 2015 Thames & Hudson

 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Introduction
 We perceive scale in relation to our
own size
 Artists often ensure all parts of an
artwork are in correct proportion
 But they also use discordant
proportions to express meaning

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Scale
 Artists make conscious choices
about scale, depending on the
message they want to communicate
 They will also consider the cost,
time, and location available

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Scale and Meaning

 Works of massive or impressive

scale are considered monumental
 This type of scale usually indicates
heroism or other epic virtues

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Interactive Exercises:

Scale and Meaning

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Artwork: Oldenburg and
van Bruggen, Mistos

1.7.1 Claes Oldenburg and

Coosje van Bruggen, Mistos
(Match Cover), 1992. Steel,
aluminum, and fiber-reinforced
plastic, painted with
polyurethane enamel, 68' × 33' ×
43'4". Collection La Vall
d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Oldenburg and
van Bruggen, Mistos
 Small, often overlooked objects are
transformed by the artists into
monumental sculptures
 Pokes fun while expressing
admiration: items of mass culture
express truths about modern life

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Robert Lostutter,
The Hummingbirds

1.7.2 Robert Lostutter, The Hummingbirds, 1981. Watercolor on paper, 1¾ × 5⅝".

Collection of Anne and Warren Weisberg
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Robert Lostutter,
The Hummingbirds
 This work is on the scale of a tiny bird
 Artist paints in great detail the
plumage of exotic birds as masks
over human faces
 The small scale forces us to come
closer; viewing becomes an intimate
experience
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Portal Artwork:
Willard Wigan,
Statue of Liberty

4.4.8 Willard Wigan, Statue of Liberty

Artwork: Jean-François Millet,

The Gleaners

1.7.3 Jean-François Millet, The Gleaners, 1857. Oil on canvas, 2'9" × 3’8". Musée d’Orsay, Paris
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Jean-François Millet,
The Gleaners
 Millet uses scale to comment on
the class system in nineteenth-
century France
 Large-scale paintings were typically
reserved to depict religious subjects,
royalty, and other figures of political
or cultural importance
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Hierarchical Scale
 Artists deliberately use relative
size in order to communicate
differences in importance
 Almost always, larger means more
important, and smaller means less
important

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Interactive Exercises:

Hierarchical Scale

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Relief sculpture from
the great temple of Amun-Re

1.7.4a Relief from the northern wall of the great temple of Amun-Re, 19 th Dynasty. c. 1295–1186 BCE. Karnak, Egypt
 Hierarchical scale in Egyptian
relief sculpture

1.7.4a and b Hierarchical scale:

relief from the northern wall of
the great temple of Amun-Re,
19th Dynasty. c. 1295–1186 BCE.
Karnak, Egypt
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Hierarchical scale in
Egyptian relief sculpture
 The pharaoh is the largest figure
in this relief because he held the
highest status in the social order
 Scene depicts the military campaign
of Pharaoh Seti I (figure A) against
the Hittites and Libyans

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork: Palette of Narmer

4.7.4b Palette of Narmer (back),

Early Dynastic Period, Egypt,
c. 2950–2775 BCE. Green schist,
25¼ × 16⅝". Egyptian Museum,
Cairo, Egypt
 Artwork: Jan van Eyck,
Madonna in a Church

1.7.5 Jan van Eyck,

Madonna in a Church,
1437–38. Oil on wood
panel, 12⅝ × 5½".
Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche
Museum, Berlin, Germany
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Jan van Eyck,

Madonna in a Church
 Van Eyck uses hierarchical scale to
communicate spiritual importance
 Mary and the Christ child appear
larger than normal human beings
 Symbolizes their central
importance in the Christian religion

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Distorted Scale
 An artist may deliberately distort
scale to create an abnormal or
supernatural effect

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Interactive Exercises:

Distorted Scale

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Dorothea Tanning,
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

1.7.6 Dorothea Tanning, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 1943. Oil on canvas, 16⅛ × 24". Tate, London, England
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Dorothea Tanning,
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
 Tanning was a Surrealist artist
 Sunflower is huge in relation to
the interior architecture and female
figures
 By contradicting our ordinary
experience of scale, she invites us
into a world unlike the one we know
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Proportion
 The relationships between the sizes
of different parts of a work make up
its proportions
 Proportion can enhance expressive
and descriptive characteristics

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Interactive Exercises:

Proportion

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Diagram of Proportion

1.7.7 Examples of how proportion changes on vertical and horizontal axes

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Human Proportion
 In ancient Egypt, the palm of the
hand was a unit of measurement
 Ancient Greeks investigated the
mathematical basis of beauty and
ideal proportion; to them these
proportions embodied the
perfection of the gods

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Interactive Exercises:

Human Proportion

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Ancient Egyptian
measurements

1.7.8 Ancient Egyptian system using the human hand as a standard unit of measurement

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
 Artwork: Nigerian Ife artist,
Figure of Oni

1.7.9 Nigerian Ife artist, Figure of Oni,

early 14th–15th century. Brass with
lead, height 18⅜". National Museum,
Ife, Nigeria
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Nigerian Ife artist,

Figure of Oni
 The Oni is the most powerful and
important figure in Yoruba culture
 The head is oversized; the Yoruba
believe it is the seat of a divine
power
 Exaggerated head communicates
status, destiny, and the spiritual
world
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Video:

The Master Sculptors

of Benin and Ife

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Artwork: Raphael,
The School of Athens

1.7.10 Raphael, The School of Athens, with overlaid diagram showing proportional structure
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateway to Art:

Raphael: Scale and

Proportion in a
Renaissance Masterpiece
 Raphael uses perspective to create
depth and draw attention to the center
 Magnificent scale, 200 × 300 in.
 Uses a proportional system known
as the Rule of Thirds
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

The Golden Section

 Also referred to as the Golden Mean,
the Golden Section is a proportional
ratio of 1:1.618
 Occurs in many natural objects
 Real human bodies do not have
these exact proportions, but when
applied to statues, they give
naturalistic results
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Interactive Exercises:

The Golden Section

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Ratios of the Golden Section

1.7.11 The Golden Section

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
 Artwork: Poseidon (or Zeus)

1.7.12a Poseidon (or Zeus), c. 460–450 BCE. Bronze, 6'10½" high. National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece
Proportional formulas
in Poseidon

1.7.12b Diagram of proportional formulas used in the statue

 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Poseidon (or Zeus)

 As a Greek god, Poseidon had to
have perfect proportions
 The sculptor applied a simple ratio,
using the head as a standard
measurement
 The body is three heads wide (at the
shoulders) by seven heads high
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Proportional Ratios
 “Golden Rectangles” have
proportions of 1:1.618
 Nested inside each other, the
shorter side of the outer rectangle
becomes the longer side of the
smaller one
 Result is an elegant spiral shape

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Artwork: Henry Peach
Robinson, Fading Away

1.7.13a Henry Peach Robinson, Fading Away, 1858. Combination albumen print, 9½ × 15½".
George Eastman House, Rochester, New York
Proportional analysis of
Fading Away

1.7.13b Proportional analysis of the photograph

 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Henry Peach Robinson,

Fading Away
 Robinson fused many different
photographic negatives to create
a new image
 Right-hand drape divides the photo-
graph into two Golden Rectangles
 The spiral draws our eye to the dying
young woman
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Iktinos and Kallikrates,
Parthenon

1.7.14a Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, 447–432 BCE, Athens, Greece

 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Iktinos and Kallikrates,

Parthenon
 Greeks applied proportional systems
to architecture as well as sculpture
 The proportions of the Parthenon
correspond closely to the Golden
Section
 Vertical and horizontal measurements
together create a harmonious design
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Use of the Golden Section

1.7.14b The use of the Golden Section in the design of the Parthenon

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Video:

The Acropolis and

Parthenon of Athens

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
MoMA Videos
To learn more about the use of scale and proportion, watch these videos of MoMA lecturers talking about
artworks in the MoMA collection:

MoMA Video

Salvador Dalí,
The Persistence of Memory

MoMA Video

Amedeo Modigliani,
Anna Zborowska

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Third Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Chapter 1.7 Copyright

Information
This concludes the PowerPoint slide set for Chapter 1.7

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts

Third Edition
By Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields

Copyright © 2015 Thames & Hudson

PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios

 Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS

Picture Credits for Chapter 1.7

1.7.1 Photo Attilio Maranzano. Photo courtesy the Oldenburg Van Bruggen Foundation. Copyright 1992 Claes
Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
1.7.2 Courtesy the artist
1.7.3 Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Photo akg-images
1.7.4a Werner Forman Archive
1.7.4b Ralph Larmann
1.7.5 Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin
1.7.6 Purchased with assistance from the Art Fund and the American Fund for the Tate Gallery 1997. Photo Tate,
London, 2012. © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2018
1.7.7 Ralph Larmann
1.7.8 Ralph Larmann
1.7.9 National Museum, Ife, Nigeria
1.7.10 Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican Museums, Rome. Line artwork Ralph Larmann
1.7.11 Ralph Larmann
1.7.12a National Archaeological Museum, Athens
1.7.12b Ralph Larmann
1.7.13a George Eastman House, New York
1.7.13b Ralph Larmann
1.7.14a iStockphoto.com
1.7.14b Ralph Larmann

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