SIZE DOESN'T MATTER

Much like a short story, a novella or even a song, the genre of small or miniature art can sometimes pack more of a punch than larger versions—maybe size really doesn’t matter! Whether a painting or sculpture, a small work need only “speak softly at first, but as one approaches, a small piece is often just as immersive,” says artist Lacey Bryant.

- CHELSEA KORESSEL

Small works also have their very own place in history, as in the small sculptural items found in Egyptian tombs. Small portraits rose to popularity in European courts in the 16th century. “By the 18th century their popularity was widespread, with leading miniature painters establishing themselves among the wealthy elite in London, Bath and Dublin,” explain representatives of Christie’s auction house. “Miniatures were particularly sought after by soldiers and sailors who wanted to leave their loved ones with a likeness to cherish in their absence.”

The prolific American artist, Edward Greene Malbone (17771807), who by 1801 was completing three miniature portraits a week, “was widely admired by both American and British artists,” notes the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “He traveled extensively, working alongside Washington Allston in Boston, and influencing the style of fellow miniaturist Charles Fraser in Charleston. In England, Malbone honed his craft with Lawrence and Thomas Sully.”

Contemporary American artist Brett Sheifflee really enjoys working on a smaller scale. "It forces you to choose details more carefully and to explore manipulating a scene with less consequence than a far larger surface," he says. "If done right, an artist’s small works can be some of the finest gems they make, because the intimate scale allows for a completely uniform and cared for surface where every edge can sing. As paintings, they are also very collectable, especially for people new to the world of art.”

Of his piece Frost Warning—depicting an old barn that the artist often visits—he says, “This night was in mid-November and the first frost warnings had been issued. I imagined how bright the stars would be and how the weeds would crackle under your feet the next morning, and, somewhere in the roof, an owl might be stretching its wings.”