Proportion in Art: The Ultimate List of Proportion and Scale in Art Examples

I’m continuing with my Elements and Principles of art series on the blog today focusing on scale and one of the principles of design proportion. Scale and proportion in art are closely related and both deal with the size and the relationship of things to other things.

Here are some artworks you can use to teach scale and proportion in art for your elements and principles of art lessons. I will add to this list when I find more, so this is a good one to pin or bookmark! The horizontal images do not contain all of the examples.

Download the Free Elements and Principles Printable Pack

This pack of printables was designed to work in a variety of ways in your classroom when teaching the elements and principles of art. You can print and hang in your classroom as posters/anchor charts or you can cut each element and principle of art in its own individual card to use as a lesson manipulative.

Proportion in Art Examples

Proportion in Art: Good Proportion

• Caravaggio, Still Life with Fruit, ca. 1603

Proportion in Art: Emphasizing Space with Proportion

• Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World, 1948
• Hiroshige, 107 Fukagawa Susaki and Jūmantsubo (5th Month, 1857) from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 1857
• Gustave Caillebotte, Paris: A Rainy Day, 1877
• Pieter Brueghel, Hunters in the Snow, 1565

Out of Proportion Art

• Sir John Everett Millais, The Blind Girl, 1854-56
• André Derain, Portrait of a Man with a Newspaper, 1911-1914
• Songye people, Democratic Republic of Congo, Female Figure, late 1800s-early 1900s
• Fernando Botero, Dancing in Colombia, 1980
• Dorothea Tanning, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 1943
• Saul Steinberg, The Fisherman
• Giacometti, Man Pointing, 1947
• Prehistoric, Nude Woman (Venus of Willendorf), c. 28,000-25,000 B.C.E (On ACFK, 5 Artworks to Promote Introspection)
• Parmigianino, Madonna with the Long Neck, 1535-4

Proportion in Art: Manipulating Proportion of Figures for Meaning

• Ben Shahn, We French Workers Warn You, 1942
• Hannah Hoch, Equilibre (Balance), 1925
• Michelangelo, Pieta, 1498-99
• Gerardo Feldstein, All at this Link

Artworks with Things Out of Proportion with Other Things

• Jeff Jordan, Curiosity, 2009
• Francisco Goya, The Colossus, c. 1808
• René Magritte, Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values), 1952
• Hans Eworth, Allegorical Portrait of Sir John Luttrell, 1550
• N.C. Wyeth, The Giant, 1923

Hierarchical Scale in Art

• Ancient Egypt, Nebamun Hunting in the Marshes, ca. 1350 B.C.E.
• Tanjore style painting from the late 19^th century showing the ten Sikh, Gururs, Bhai Bala, and Bhai Mardana
• Sumer, the Standard of Ur, about 2600-2400 B.C.E.
• Palette of King Narmer, from Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, c. 3000-2920 B.C.E
• Benin Plaques, 16th-17th century

Big Scale in Art

• Ron Mueck, A Boy, 2005
• Ron Mueck, A Girl, 2006
• Georgia O’Keeffe, Oriental Poppies, 1928
• The Colossus of Constantine, c. 312-15
• Nazca Earth Drawings
• Chuck Close, Mark, 1978-79
• Henry Beacon and Daniel Chester French, Lincoln Memorial, 1914-22
• Robert Smithson, Spiral Jetty, 1970
• Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1985-88

Small Scale in Art

• Jade Mountain Illustrating the Gathering of Poets at the Lan T’ing Pavilion, 1784
• Diem Chau, Mahjongg
• Yang Yongliang, A Bowl of Taipei, 2012
• Slinkachu, Any Artworks at this Link

Scale in Art: Artworks that Show the Scale of Nature in Relationship to Humans

• Shen Zhou, Poet on a Mountaintop, 1496
• Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, c. 1818
• Albert Bierstadt, Valley of the Yosemite, 1864

There you have it! The best scale and proportion in art examples for your elements and principles of art lessons. Want more elements and principles of art teacher resources? Check out the below posts.