Golden ratio
A straightforward calculation based on the dimensions of paintings visible in both of these images reveals dimensions for "En Canot" of . This corresponds to a standard stretcher (châssis) format referred to as 80 Figure (80 F). Chassis sizes in France are based on format P for "paysage" (landscape), relating to the principles of art and the diagonal of Fibonacci; the formats M for "marine" (seascapes); and F for "figure" (portrait), such as "En Canot", are based on the Golden ratio. Most, if not all, of Metzinger's works from the period, including his monumental "L'Oiseau bleu", are painted on canvases corresponding to these traditional formats; proportioning his works to approximate the golden ratio, in the belief that this proportion is aesthetically pleasing. The golden section () and other similar geometric configurations symbolized for Metzinger and his colleagues a belief in order and the significance of mathematical proportions, because it reflected patterns and relationships occurring in nature. Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, the Duchamp brothers, and other members of the Section d'Or, were passionately interested in mathematics.