Proportion

Proportion refers to the size of an object or figure in relation to the entire composition. For example, in this image of The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, the child is smaller than the adults and the landscape, yet is bigger than the lamb. If the baby had been taller than the Virgin and Saint Anne, he would have been “out of proportion” because children are not bigger than their parents.

Renaissance arts were very concerned about proportion. Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian man was a sketch based on mathematical proportions, ensuring that all parts of the body were proportionate to one another. His arm span, the distance from fingertip to fingertip, is equal to his height. Later artists have also used this drawing as a model for their creations.

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne

Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian man