Final answer:
The canon of proportion guides artists in creating balanced and realistic figures. To assess proportions, one compares parts of the figure to each other against this canon. Artists manipulate scale and proportion for emphasis, to create focal points, or to illustrate depth and motion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The canon of proportion is a set of rules for a standard of beauty, utilized by artists to create aesthetically pleasing, balanced, and realistic human figures based on idealized relationships between body parts. The concept dates back to the ancient Egyptians and was further explored during the Renaissance by artists like Leonardo da Vinci. To determine if figures in a painting, such as those by John Singer Sargent, are rendered in realistic proportions, one would examine the relationships of body parts to each other and to the whole figure, comparing them to these established canons.
Robert Longo creates realistic, dynamic works by capturing the human form in motion, accurately portraying body positions, and effectively utilizing light and shadow to create a sense of three-dimensionality. Leonardo da Vinci achieves realism in works like Lady With an Ermine by studying the ideal proportions of the human body through scientific investigation and mathematical principles, such as those depicted in his drawing of the Vitruvian Man. Vincent van Gogh's self-portrait can be assessed for realistic proportion by evaluating the size and placement of facial features, and the relationships between the head, shoulders, and torso.
Kehinde Wiley combines the canon of proportion with skillful use of highlights and shadows to create portraits that appear realistic despite often using non-traditional backgrounds. When assessing Girl in a Sailor’s Blouse for masklike qualities, one would look for flatness in the facial features, a lack of expressive detail, and potentially stylized elements that give the face a two-dimensional appearance. Henri Matisse's techniques for drawing attention to the woman's clothing in The Romanian Blouse likely include the use of vibrant colors, patterns, and the strategic placement of the garment within the composition to create focus.
Among the many techniques that artists use to create emotion, tension, and narrative in their works, scale and proportion are integral. Artists often manipulate these elements to create a focal point, emphasize certain features, or give illusions of depth. For example, Pablo Picasso might draw attention to the guitar player's elongated fingers by altering their scale, making them larger or longer than life-size to emphasize their role in the musical performance.