Themes > Arts > Painting > Painting Principles and Techniques > Depth or Distance Cues > Relative Size

Note the two people rowing the boat, the closer one is painted much larger than the other. Even the two paddles near each other in the middle right-hand side of the picture show the use of relative size. The paddle from the closer boat, which is off the painting, is painted larger that the paddle from the main boat that Caillebotte is depicting.

Note one additional feature about relative size: The boater in the background does not look abnormal in any way. Despite being painted smaller, the person does not look like a midget.














Sculls by Gustave Caillebotte

copyrightkrantzj@hanover.edu    John H. Krantz, Ph.D.
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