Transcript Chapter 1.7 Scale and Proportion PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS
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,
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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
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Robert Lostutter,
The Hummingbirds
, 1981. Watercolor on paper, 1¾ x 5⅝”. Collection of Anne and Warren Weisberg
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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,
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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
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slide 2: Hierarchical scale: Relief from the northern wall of the hypostyle hall at the great temple of Amun, 19 th Dynasty,
c
. 1295 –1186 BCE. Karnak, Egypt
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Jan van Eyck,
Madonna in a Church
, 1437 –8. Oil on wood panel, 12⅝ x 5½”. Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany
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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,
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Dorothea Tanning,
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
, 1943. Oil on canvas, 16⅛ x 24”. Tate, London
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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
PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS 1.131
Examples of how proportion changes on vertical and horizontal axes
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Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Chapter 1.7
Scale and Proportion
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
PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.7
Scale and Proportion 1.132
Ancient Egyptian system using the human hand as a standard unit of measurement
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Nigerian Ife artist, Figure of Oni, early 14th –15th century. Brass with lead, 18⅜” high. National Museum, Ife, Nigeria
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Chapter 1.7
Scale and Proportion The Master Sculptors of Benin and Ife Click the image above to launch the video Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts,
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Raphael,
The School of Athens
, 1510 –11. Fresco, 16’ 8” x 25’. Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican City
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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,
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PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.7
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The Golden Section
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1.136 Poseidon (or
Zeus
),
c
. 460 –450 BCE . Bronze, 6’10½” high. National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece
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Diagram of proportional formulas used in the statue
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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,
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1.138a
Henry Peach Robinson,
Fading Away
, 1858. Combination albumen print. George Eastman House, Rochester, New York
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Proportional analysis: Henry Peach Robinson’s
Fading Away
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Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, 447 –432 BCE . Athens, Greece
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The use of the Golden Section in the design of the Parthenon
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Scale and Proportion The Acropolis and Parthenon of Athens Click the image above to launch the video Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts,
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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,
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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
PowerPoints developed by
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Picture Credits for Chapter 1.7
1.126 1.127 1.128 1.129 1.130
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, 2011. © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2011
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Ralph Larmann
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National Museum, Ife, Nigeria
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Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican Museums, Rome
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1.136
1.137
1.138a 1.138b 1.139 1.140
Ralph Larmann National Archaeological Museum, Athens Ralph Larmann George Eastman House, New York Ralph Larmann iStockphoto.com Ralph Larmann PowerPoints developed by
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