2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Scale and Meaning

6. 1.126 Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Mistos (Match Cover), Steel, aluminum, fiber-reinforced plastic, painted with polyurethane enamel, 68' x 33' x 43’4”. Collection La Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain

7. Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Mistos (Match Cover)
Uses monumental scale to poke fun while expressing admiration for the little things of everyday life
Oldenburg transforms the essence of everyday things as he magnifies their sculptural form
Oldenburg believes that the items of mass culture, no matter how insignificant they might seem, express a truth about modern life

8. 1. 127 Robert Lostutter, The Hummingbirds, 1981
1.127 Robert Lostutter, The Hummingbirds, Watercolor on paper, 1¾ x 5⅝”. Collection of Anne and Warren Weisberg

9. Robert Lostutter, The Hummingbirds
Lostutter uses small scale to enhance the character of his work
He likes to create his works on the scale not of a human but of a bird
The tiny scale of the work—only one person at a time can see it properly—forces us to come closer, so viewing it becomes an intimate experience

10. 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

11. Hierarchical Scale

12. 1.128 slide 1: Relief from the northern wall of the hypostyle hall at the great temple of Amun, 19th Dynasty, c. 1295–1186 BCE. Karnak, Egypt

13. 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

14. Hierarchical scale: Relief from the northern wall of the hypostyle hall at the great temple of Amun
In the art of ancient Egypt, the king, or pharaoh, was usually the largest figure depicted because he had the highest status in the social order
This scene depicts the military campaign of Pharaoh Seti I (figure A) against the Hittites and Libyans

15. 1. 129 Jan van Eyck, Madonna in a Church, 1437–8
1.129 Jan van Eyck, Madonna in a Church, 1437–8. Oil on wood panel, 12⅝ x 5½”. Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany

16. Jan van Eyck, Madonna in a Church
Uses hierarchical scale to communicate spiritual importance
In his effort to glorify the spiritual importance of Mary and the Christ child, Van Eyck separates them from normal human existence
Van Eyck has scaled them to symbolize their central importance in the Christian religion

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

18. Distorted Scale

19. 1. 130 Dorothea Tanning, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 1943
1.130 Dorothea Tanning, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Oil on canvas, 16⅛ x 24”. Tate, London

20. Dorothea Tanning, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Dorothea Tanning was a Surrealist artist
The sunflower seems huge in relation to the interior architecture and the two female figures standing on the left
By contradicting our ordinary experience of scale, Tanning invites us into a world unlike the one we know
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (“A Little Night Music”) is a title borrowed from a lighthearted piece of music by the composer Mozart, but ironically Tanning’s scene exhibits a strange sense of dread

21. 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

22. Proportion

23. 1.131 Examples of how proportion changes on vertical and horizontal axes

24. 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

25. Human Proportion

26. 1.132 Ancient Egyptian system using the human hand as a standard unit of measurement

27. 1. 133 Nigerian Ife artist, Figure of Oni, early 14th–15th century
1.133 Nigerian Ife artist, Figure of Oni, early 14th–15th century. Brass with lead, 18⅜” high. National Museum, Ife, Nigeria

28. Nigerian Ife artist, Figure of Oni
The Oni is the most powerful and important figure in this culture
The head is large in proportion to the rest of the body; the Yoruba believe that the head is the seat of a divine power
Many African sculptures exaggerate the head and face as a way to communicate status, destiny, and a connection to the spiritual

29. The Master Sculptors of Benin and Ife

30. 1. 134 Raphael, The School of Athens, 1510–11. Fresco, 16’ 8” x 25’
1.134 Raphael, The School of Athens, 1510–11. Fresco, 16’ 8” x 25’. Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican City

31. Raphael, The School of Athens Scale and Proportion in a Renaissance Masterpiece
Raphael’s sensitivity to proportion reflects his pursuit of perfection
He indicated the importance of his masterpiece by creating it on a magnificent scale
He composed the individual figures so that the parts of each figure are harmonious in relation to each other and portray an idealized form
Double emphasis on the center brings our attention to the opposing gestures of two famous Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle

32. 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

33. The Golden Section

34. 1.135 The Golden Section

35. 1. 136 Poseidon (or Zeus), c. 460–450 BCE. Bronze, 6’10½” high
1.136 Poseidon (or Zeus), c. 460–450 BCE. Bronze, 6’10½” high. National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece

36. 1.137 Diagram of proportional formulas used in the statue

37. Poseidon As a Greek god, Poseidon had to have perfect proportions
The sculptor applied a conveniently simple ratio, using the head as a standard measurement
The body is three heads wide (at the shoulders) by seven heads high

38. Proportional Ratios
“Golden Rectangles” is a technique based on nesting inside each other a succession of rectangles based on the 1: 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

39. 1. 138a Henry Peach Robinson, Fading Away, 1858
1.138a Henry Peach Robinson, Fading Away, Combination albumen print. George Eastman House, Rochester, New York

40. 1.138b Proportional analysis: Henry Peach Robinson’s Fading Away

41. Henry Peach Robinson, Fading Away
Henry Peach Robinson was a great photographic innovator
This image shows Robinson’s attention to the coordinated ratios in artistic composition
Notice how the right-hand drape divides the photograph into two Golden Rectangles, and how the spiral draws our eye to the dying young woman

42. 1.139 Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, 447–432 BCE. Athens, Greece

43. Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon
By applying the idealized rules of proportion for the human body to the design of the Parthenon, a temple to the goddess Athena, the Greeks created a harmonious design
The proportions correspond quite closely to the Golden Section
The vertical and horizontal measurements work together to create proportional harmony

44. 1.140 The use of the Golden Section in the design of the Parthenon

45. The Acropolis and Parthenon of Athens

46. 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

47. Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts
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

48. 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 Courtesy the artist Werner Forman Archive, line artwork Ralph Larmann Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin Purchased with assistance from the Art Fund and the American Fund for the Tate Gallery 1997 © Tate, London, © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London , Ralph Larmann National Museum, Ife, Nigeria Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican Museums, Rome Ralph Larmann National Archaeological Museum, Athens Ralph Larmann 1.138a George Eastman House, New York 1.138b Ralph Larmann iStockphoto.com Ralph Larmann