Altering proportions
Not all compositions are based on realistic proportions. Some artists and designers experiment with altering proportions to create distinctive works.
Alberto Giacometti’s statues use stretched proportions to show tall thin figures, like in Walking Man I (1960).
Giacometti stripped away as much clay as possible from his models to try and gain a better understanding of real human forms.
The slender proportions of his sculptures draw attention to the space around them and create a sense of separation and distance between the viewer and the isolated figures portrayed.
Amadeo Modigliani’s portraits often show elongated proportions. Here the sitter’s face has been stretched to a long oval and the neck appears like a long slim column.
Stretching the woman’s head makes it similar in shape to her eyes. The high arch of the top of her head is matched by the curve of her shoulders.
The overall effect of these repeated elongated curves is to make the woman seem elegant and graceful.
