We explore how different parts in a visual composition share “proper” size with each other to create a “harmonious” relationship between them and a harmonious visual composition.Sometimes the different parts in a visual composition do not share the “proper” size between one another and it appears out of proportion.
Scale refers to the size of objects and their relationship with each other in a composition. Proportion is more a zooming in on the intricacies between the relationship of the sizes of parts in a visual composition.
Altered proportion refers to an artwork where the proportion has been changed, distorted, or altered for specific reasons; this is also called “exaggerated” proportion.
Hierarchical proportion focuses on the importance of the subject matter, in other words, the hierarchy of figures in a composition to denote their status or level of importance in a monarchy or social structure.
Standard Proportion: David (1501 – 1504) by MichelangeloAltered Proportion: Mother and Child (1921) by Pablo PicassoHierarchical Proportion: Nebamun fowling in the marshes (c. 1350)Out of Proportion: The Elephants (1948) by Salvador Dalí