Art 101
Scale or proportion
When you read a book, you need to know the language in which it was written, the vocabulary and turns of phrase. Art also has a language. The viewer needs a knowledge base from which to begin to “read” artwork. This base is called “the elements of art.” In science, elements combine to form the molecules and compounds that make up the universe and everything in it. In art, elements combine to create paintings, sculptures, et cetera. One of these is called Proportion, also known as Scale.
Scale/proportion refers to the size of “stuff” in the artwork in relation to each other. It can also refer to the size of an artwork itself relative to the viewer. A decent rule-of-thumb is “the bigger the thing, the more important it is”. If the painting or sculpture itself is huge, its overall message might be epic or promote a universal ideal. The opposite can also be true. If the artwork itself is small, the message is probably personal or intimate. This is because the viewer must get up close to the work in order to see details. It becomes part of the viewer’s personal space.
Let’s look at examples of scale and proportion in action…
Travelers Among Mountains and Streams shows a rocky, mountainous landscape, gnarly pine trees, and a tiny waterfall. The large, central cliff-face dominates the whole work, stretching almost two-thirds up the painting. The mountain looks monumental and solid as it rises out of the mist at its base. The waterfall is a thin line to the right and is almost lost among the cliff’s craigs. A fog covers the mountain’s base and divides the foreground of the painting from the cliff wall. Because of this, we really cannot tell how far into the distance the mountain is. The fog hides the true scale of the mountain. We are aware that the mountain is massive but we cannot tell how massive. The image inspires awe.
Notice the title: Travelers Among Mountains and Streams. What travelers? Where? Do you see them? Look to the lower right in the white horizontal space between the rocks at the very bottom and the line of trees just above it.
There is a tiny donkey train led by a lone human. Very tiny.
A human figure is the most recognizable and most relatable image in art. We instinctively seek out signs of humanity and artists can use the human form as an instant measuring stick to indicate size and scale in surrounding objects. Think about all the pictures from school science class that used humans to show the size of dinosaurs, for example. This is what Fan, the Chinese artist, is doing here. The donkey train is so small it almost completely disappears. Although the work is titled Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, this work is about nature. Fan is demonstrating the massive presence of this landscape and the dominating mountain by including a puny image of humanity. Fan plays with our expectations and manipulates proportion to create a sense of awe and wonder.
Fan accentuates the message of the work, the colossal mountain, the large boulders, and the infinitesimal pack animals by painting this on a huge silk scroll, 6¾ feet tall by about 3¼ feet wide. Taller and wider than the average human, this work dwarfs us. We feel as insignificant as the man and his donkeys. The viewer is positioned on the rock cliff opposite the mountain looking down at the path. Even though we are high above the valley floor, the mountain opposite still towers overhead. Its enormity is inescapable.
In this ancient work, Naram-Sin, an ancient Middle Eastern king, is pictured in the top center of the work, twice as tall as everyone else on the carved slab. He was very likely not this much taller than everyone else. This use of proportion and composition, another element of art, is symbolic. They emphasize his importance and status within this civilization. Naram-Sin was a king—a victorious king. Here he is large, at the top, and centered. This society also believed that kings were divine. He is placed at the top center, just like in life where he was at the top and at the center of his society. Naram-Sin is no mere man. He is godlike, strong and powerful. This exaggerated scale was an easy way for artists to quickly communicate a work’s message and for viewers to understand it.
This sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin depicts a scene from medieval history where leaders of the city of Calais surrendered themselves to the enemy to end a devastating siege. Celebrated as heroes by the modern citizens of that city, Rodin instead depicts them as weakened, starving humans barely able to walk. Their clothes are in tatters and their figures are skeletal. Rodin is not depicting the traditional idealized hero. He is showing real people with zero hope, accepting their fate, and saving their city. To Rodin, that was true heroism. Proportion is used to emphasize this. The figures are near life-size. The statue was to be placed at ground level where everyday citizens could walk up to it and interact directly with the figures. This human-scale personalizes them. Instead of the time-honored, larger-than-life, mythologized hero, they are the fallible and imperfect everyman and more relevant to the viewer. These were common men doing an uncommon thing. As a result, their selfless act becomes even greater.
In art, size matters. Ask yourself why something is so big or so small. Do you instinctively move closer to the work or object to see it better, or do you move away to take it all in? Is the work larger than you or are you larger than it? Pay attention to your very first reaction. Many times, your initial reactions to a work of art are the beginnings of understanding the whole.
Lady Bison 