Anatomy, Perspective and Composition for the Artist

Stan Smith

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780486492995
• eBook ISBN: 9780486783024
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

Splendid color illustrations by a distinguished painter and teacher highlight this volume of practical instruction in the foundations of art. Perfect for intermediate-level and advanced artists wishing to take their work to the next level, this manual combines detailed anatomy studies with guidance in the principles and practice of perspective and the art of composition.
Author Stan Smith interprets the traditions of European art from the Renaissance onward, providing step-by-step diagrams that develop students' understanding and familiarity with concepts and techniques. Technical and expressive qualities receive equal emphasis. In addition to its value as a source of instruction, this book also functions as an essential reference.

1 ANATOMY

INTRODUCTION

Knowledge of the bones and muscles of the body helps the artist to read the form and balance of a pose, giving authority to a figure drawing.

Most anatomical text books are researched and written by medical men, where the stress is on function. These works can be very useful to the artist as knowledge of the workings of the human body can be an aid to figure-drawing. Some artists, however, feel that detailed anatomical knowledge is not necessary and that those concerned with figure-drawing should limit their acquisition of knowledge to the fundamental structure of the human form.

The answer must fall somewhere between these two extremes. Certainly, too much concern with study of a scientific nature can be distracting, at best, and seductive, at worst. There is a need to tread warily so as to avoid becoming so involved in physiology and detailed anatomy that the inspiration of a drawing or painting is lost. Then, rather than the study being an aid to the intended composition, it becomes an end in itself.

The artist must, on the other hand, have some knowledge of what lies underneath the human skin, to lend credibility to his figure-drawing. He will have difficulty, for example, in producing a convincing drawing of an upholstered chair, if all he knows about is the material that covers it; some knowledge of the basic structure and stuffing is essential. It is not necessary, though, to learn the name of every bone and muscle, but an appreciation of function, with relation to movement and balance, and the effect on the body form is a great aid to figure-drawing.

The maxim that shape is dependent upon function is generally true of the human body. In instances where leverage or hingeing is necessary, there is a simple visual explanation, just as there is where counter-rhythms are employed to retain balance in a biped. In some complicated movements, however, it can be very difficult to understand what is happening to the muscles and bones. For example, the turn of the forearm from pronation to supination — from palm facing upwards to palm facing downwards — involves a beautiful series of interrelated movements of the two bones of the forearm, the ulna and radius, both surface and buried muscle, and the movement of major and minor blood vessels. This sounds overcomplicated, but, in general, the artist making a figure study needs only to know the basic configurations — knowledge of the appearance of the body when movement is completed and an understanding of the muscles and bones involved in the completed action are sufficient.

The series of diagrams in this section set out to suit the needs of the artist in a unique fashion. They are not intended to be read as an orthodox anatomical chart, but as an indication of how surface form is affected by stresses and stretchings, movement and balance. To this end, four views of each pose are represented, with the major musculature exposed in relation to the pose. It is hoped that such a series of figures in action will prove of value to the artist, both by demonstrating structure and by illustrating the depth of knowledge likely to prove useful.

Historical Background

Until the introduction of the camera in 1839, any study or analysis of the human body and its complex machinery relied upon the drawings and annotations of artists and men of medical science. Indeed, early medical books were illustrated with anatomical drawings researched by artists and, although artists concentrated on the external manifestation of the workings of skeleton, muscles and fat, rather than the specific functioning of the body’s parts, there has always been a close link between artists and the medical profession in their search for knowledge and understanding of the human body.

Records of early dissections are rare. The first accounts of any authority describe dissections performed by Erasistratus and Herophilus of the Ptolemaic medical school of Alexandria in the second century BC. Evidence of study after this is thin; the religious association between body and soul fuelled early fears and superstitions and made it difficult for the examination of corpses to be carried out. Those who did so were threatened with excommunication, hell and damnation. In the thirteenth century, however, records of post-mortems and autopsies were made for the University of Bologna, where, for the most part, the hapless cadavers were those of condemned criminals and vagrants. In addition, there are accounts of grave-robbing, not for gold but for bodies to dissect to quench the thirst for anatomical knowledge.

It was during the Renaissance, however, that the greatest achievements were made. This was the dawn of experimental science and research, when there was a new consciousness of man’s dignity and of his powers to create a new environment for himself. No longer was the body of man regarded as an insi...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• 1 ANATOMY
• 2 PERSPECTIVE
• 3 COMPOSITION
• Glossary
• Index
• Acknowledgements