Hierarchy is the
level of importance allotted to an object, or, for the sake of this posting, a
person. Hierarchical size deals with the principle of design known as proportion.
Proportion has to do with the relationship of the size of one element of a work
of art to another other. When one figure unnaturally dwarfs other figures in a
work of art, it usually means that that person is more important than the
others and is the center of attention, i.e. the subject matter.
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Ancient Egypt, Block statue of Senwosret-senebefny and Itneferuseneb, ca. 1836–1759 bce. Quartzite, 26 7/8” x 16 3/8” x 18 1/8” (68.3 x 41.5 x 46 cm). © Brooklyn Museum. (BMA-4913) |
Egyptian women, even those in the nobility, held little
power in ancient Egypt. The power the did have was
centered in the home: overseeing the household and managing the household
budget. Although not always the case in Egyptian funerary sculpture, wives and
members of the family of the deceased are minimized in importance. Block sculptures such as this one for
Senwosret-senebefny, an official in the Twelfth Dynasty (1937–1759 bce), depict the deceased squatting on
the ground covered in a cloak. The small figure is Itneferuseneb, most likely
Senwosret-senebefny’s wife. Such funerary art was
popular because there was a lot of surface to cover in hieroglyphics with
praise for the deeds of the deceased.
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Ancient Egypt, Family Group, mortuary statue, ca 2371–2298 bce. Limestone (probably painted originally), height: 29 1/8” (74 cm). © Brooklyn Museum. (BMA-548) |
This funerary commemorative portrait of a minor official, a
little over two feet tall, has the minimized wife included, as well as the
apple of the deceased’s eye, a male child. The pose of arms glued to the sides
and one foot advancing is a convention in Egyptian
sculpture that lasted through the period of Roman domination that ended in
the first 500 years ce. Another
convention seen through Egyptian history is the wife’s affectionate hand
resting on her husband.
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Pietro Lorenzetti (1280–1348, Italy), Madonna and Child with Friar Donor, 1320s. Tempera and gold leaf on wood panel, 49 9/16” (126 x 76 cm). © Philadelphia Museum of Art. (PMA-448) |
Lorenzetti and his brother Ambrogio, who were from Siena, were instrumental in
bringing Italian art into the beginnings of the Renaissance with their insistence
on realism, monumentality, and plasticity. However, some older elements of
Gothic art remain: the shallow, shrine like space, the use of gold leaf, and
the miniature monk donor kneeling at the feet of the object of veneration, the
Madonna and Child. During the Renaissance, donors
such as this monk would have been depicted the same size as the religious
figures. This was all part of the Renaissance emphasis on the individual and
their accomplishments.
The Hamzanama was
a recounting of the adventures of Amir Hamza. It is an Indo-Iranian tale much
akin to the adventures of Odysseus in Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey. This
scene certainly rivals the Egyptian examples of minimization in the size of the
followers of Zumurrud Shah, the central character in red tunic. Male figures
are only slightly larger than female and child figures. Another interesting
aspect of this illustration is space.
Recession into the background is achieved with vertical perspective. In other words, various elements of the
setting are piled one atop the other to achieve the illusion of depth.
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This work, done in a style derivative of the Spanish Baroque, was most likely executed by native
artists. Spanish artists who migrated to the Spanish colonies in Central and
South America taught native artists oil painting. Like-sized saints, as well as
mini-donors accompany the Madonna and Child, the focus of veneration. The
painting is interesting in that a wealthy native family who had converted to
Christianity commissioned it. Compared to Spanish painting of the time in
Europe, it has more of a folk-art aesthetic.
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Edward Savage (1761–1817, US), The Savage Family, ca. 1779. Oil on canvas, 26” x 34 5/8” (66 x 88 cm). © Worcester Art Museum. (WAM-104) |
The painter, Edward Savage,
appears on the far left of this painting, and is practically the only figure
represented in what approaches accurate body proportions. The rest of the family
has huge heads on spindly little bodies. Although Savage studied painting under
expatriate American painters in England, his early style reveals a self-taught
quality, especially in the lack of understanding of anatomy and perspective
(look at the floor tiles!). However, I still find this piece charming,
especially the way the family members are arranged by height, drawing attention
to the velvet-covered table in the center of the room (why?).
Correlations to Davis
programs: Explorations in Art
Grade 3: 1.3, Explorations in Art Grade 4: 1.2, Explorations in Art Grade 6:
1.1, The Visual Experience: 8.9
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