Feeling small: scale and proportion in art

Feeling Small: Scale and Proportion in Art Scale refers to the size relation of a structure to another while proportion entails size relationship of parts of the design to a whole. Surrounding affects the scale and proportion of art. Scale and proportion are indispensable in perceiving the illusion of depth in representational painting and sculpture such as a shuttlecock. In addition, scale and proportion assists in creating artistic impression. It is imperative that size and proportion remains influential in provoking viewers thinking and emotions towards an art.
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggenas designed Shuttlecock by combining various elements including ball, birds’ feathers, cone, and sphere. The pieces created by the two renowned artists provokes thought of grafting in nature and a blend of different cultures. Within the shuttlecock, there exist an elaborate significance consisting of exclusive volumetric with symbolism of fall and leap.
Sight of the huge metallic shuttlecock encourages thought of a playing ground. The grassy lawns surrounding the museum coupled with the mystery of Shuttlecock art and its representation creates a beautiful scenery that evokes playing memories. The initial thought of the landscape created by the giant shuttlecock relates to the size of the art. In natural setting, the shuttlecock would fit in the hands and offer me a chance to play willingly with it. Small size of natural, normal shuttlecock would have allowed me to manipulate it including carrying it in my hands or using it playing badminton. Rather, the gigantic shuttlecock manipulates us. Instead of carrying it in our hands, we run around or climb it. Ability of the gigantic shuttlecock to change the natural manner of thought and play shifts to artificial form, which invites the urge for exploration. Exploring the artificial nature created by the gigantic shuttlecock and the thought of walking around it continually provokes my mind.
The gigantic shuttlecock evokes the feeling of fear and discomfort. In typical cases, I use shuttlecock in playing badminton. The normal shuttlecock has lesser weight compared to the gigantic one. The absurd enormity of the shuttlecock instills fears of using the latter in playing badminton. In addition, the oversized shuttlecock depicts evolution of typical artificial objects from known sizes to abnormal structures. Abnormality of the shuttlecock explains why it seems to endanger human beings. Moreover, just as any other enigma, the shuttlecock gives no response. The gigantic shuttlecock neither conceals nor reveals but rather alludes to infinite plurality of search for answers and questions (Aber, Marzolff, and Johannes 235).
Oldenburg and van Bruggen use of scale and proportion in designing the gigantic shuttlecock can arouse laughing and fun. The sight and thought of imagining the small sized shuttlecock used in playing badminton as big with ability to support human beings weight remain unimaginable and unrealistic. The proportion of the shuttlecock in comparison to body size remains also larger than unexpected. A gaze at the art represents abnormality and deviation from nature. Such deviation and gaze represent thoughts that provoke laughter as an individual imagines nature and artistry in the gigantic shuttlecock.
Odd use of scale and proportion gives shuttlecock sculpture its originality and relationship between human beings and nature. Representing a standard sized object as gigantic have the inner meaning of helping the artist in influencing viewers mind and thought. The scale and proportion represented in designing the structure helps the viewer to experience thoughts about nature and its association to human beings. It is vital that comparison of art to ourselves is essential in understanding principles of proportion and scale used in artistry.
Work Cited
Aber, James S, Marzolff, Irene, and Ries, Johannes B. Small-format Aerial Photography: Principles, Techniques and Geoscience Applications. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, 2010. Internet resource.