PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.7
Scale and Proportion
Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Introduction
 We perceive scale in relation to our own size

Art objects created on a monumental scale appear larger than they
would be in normal life

Art objects created on a human scale correspond to the size of
things as they actually exist

Small-scale objects appear smaller than our usual experience of
them in the real world
 Usually, an artist ensures that all the parts of an object are
in proportion to one another
 But discordant proportions can express specific meanings
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Scale
 Artists and designers make conscious choices about the
scale of their work when they consider the message they
want to put across

A small-scale work implies intimacy

Large-scale works can be experienced by groups of viewers and
usually communicate big ideas directed at a large audience
 Practical considerations can affect an artist’s decision
about scale too

Cost, time it will take to execute the piece, and demands that a
specific location may place on the work are all factors
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Scale and Meaning
 Usually a monumental scale indicates heroism or other epic
virtues
 War monuments, for example, often feature figures much
larger than life-size in order to convey the bravery of the
warriors
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
1.126 Claes Oldenburg and
Coosje van Bruggen, Mistos
(Match Cover), 1992. Steel,
aluminum, fiber-reinforced
plastic, painted with
polyurethane enamel, 68' x 33'
x 43’4”. Collection La Vall
d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
1.127 Robert Lostutter, The Hummingbirds, 1981. Watercolor on paper, 1¾ x 5⅝”. Collection of Anne and Warren Weisberg
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Hierarchical Scale
 Hierarchical scale refers to the deliberate use of relative
size in a work of art, 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, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
1.128 slide 1: Relief from the northern wall of the hypostyle hall at the great temple of Amun, 19 th Dynasty, c. 1295–1186 BCE. Karnak,
Egypt
1.128 slide 2: Hierarchical
scale: Relief from the northern
wall of the hypostyle hall at the
great temple of Amun, 19th
Dynasty, c. 1295–1186 BCE.
Karnak, Egypt
1.129 Jan van Eyck, Madonna
in a Church, 1437–8. Oil on
wood panel, 12⅝ x 5½”.
Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche
Museen, Berlin, Germany
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, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
1.130 Dorothea Tanning, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 1943. Oil on canvas, 16⅛ x 24”. Tate, London
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
 By controlling these size relationships, an artist can
enhance the expressive and descriptive characteristics of
the work
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
1.131 Examples of how proportion changes on vertical and horizontal axes
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Human Proportion
 Carefully chosen proportion can make an art object seem
pleasing to the eye

This goes for the human body, too
 The ancient Egyptians used the palm of the hand as a unit
of measurement
 The ancient Greeks sought an ideal of beauty in the
principle of proportion
 The models used by the Greeks for calculating human
proportion were later adopted by artists of ancient Rome,
and then by Renaissance artists
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
1.132 Ancient Egyptian system using the human hand as a standard unit of measurement
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
1.133 Nigerian Ife artist, Figure
of Oni, early 14th–15th century.
Brass with lead, 18⅜” high.
National Museum, Ife, Nigeria
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
The Master Sculptors of Benin and Ife
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Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
1.134 Raphael, The School of Athens, 1510–11. Fresco, 16’ 8” x 25’. Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican City
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
The Golden Section
 The Golden Section is a proportional ratio of 1:1.618,
which occurs in many natural objects
 Real human bodies do not have exactly these proportions,
but when the ratio 1:1.618 is applied to making statues, it
gives naturalistic results
 The proportions of Ancient Greek sculptures are often very
close to the Golden Section
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
1.135 The Golden Section
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
1.136 Poseidon (or Zeus), c. 460–450 BCE. Bronze, 6’10½” high. National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece
1.137 Diagram of proportional formulas used in the statue
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Proportional Ratios
 “Golden Rectangles” is a technique based on nesting inside
each other a succession of rectangles based on the 1:1.618
proportions of the Golden Section

The shorter side of the outer rectangle becomes the longer side of
the smaller rectangle inside it, and so on

The result is an elegant spiral shape
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
1.138a Henry Peach Robinson, Fading Away, 1858. Combination albumen print. George Eastman House, Rochester, New York
1.138b Proportional analysis: Henry Peach Robinson’s Fading Away
1.139 Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, 447–432 BCE. Athens, Greece
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
1.140 The use of the Golden Section in the design of the Parthenon
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
The Acropolis and Parthenon of Athens
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Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Conclusion
 When proportion conforms to scale, all the parts of the
work look the way we expect them to
 Scale and proportion are basic to most works; size choices
influence all the other elements and principles in the design
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
This concludes the PowerPoint slide set for Chapter 1.7
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts
By Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson
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Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Picture Credits for Chapter 1.7
1.126
Photo Attilio Maranzano. Photo courtesy the Oldenburg van Bruggen Foundation. Copyright 1992 Claes Oldenburg
and Coosje van Bruggen
1.127
Courtesy the artist
1.128
Werner Forman Archive, line artwork Ralph Larmann
1.129
Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin
1.130
Purchased with assistance from the Art Fund and the American Fund for the Tate Gallery 1997 © Tate, London, 2011.
© ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2011
1.131, 1.132 Ralph Larmann
1.133
National Museum, Ife, Nigeria
1.134
Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican Museums, Rome
1.135
Ralph Larmann
1.136
National Archaeological Museum, Athens
1.137
Ralph Larmann
1.138a
George Eastman House, New York
1.138b Ralph Larmann
1.139
iStockphoto.com
1.140
Ralph Larmann
PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios