Anatomy for the Artist

Előszó

INTRODUCTION
Anatomy, so far as it is concerned with a knowledge of the bones and muscles of the humán body, is an indispensáble foundation for any artistic portrayal of humán beings. Without such knowledge, it is impossible to observe with understanding the various attitudes, positions and movements of which the humán body is capable, up to and including those which reflect emotion. This knowledge not only aids study of the body at rest, but alsó helps in capturing rapid movements and fleeting changes of expression. Even with the assistance of a trained model one cannot paint these facial and bodily appearances if one lacks any knowledge of anatomy.
So far as the artist is concerned, the impact of the humán body is exclusively a visual one. His eye studies only the visible details of it. The artist should therefore approach anatomy from an artist's point of view, not a doctor's. He should make himself acquainted primarily with the bones and muscles whose forms and actions are visible at or just below the surface. The study of heart, liver and lungs will improve his generál knowledge but not his ábility to draw. Therefore ANATOMY FOR THE ART IST does not deal with the internál organs. Somé of the blood vessels appear on the surface, but it would be unprofitable to analyse their characteristics at any length.
The bones and muscles of the humán body compose a very complex three-dimensional system. A very small change of position may affect the whole system and change its equilibrium and form. With this in mind, I have endeavoured, while following the inescapable stage-by-stage description, not to neglect the relationships between the parts of the organism. I have used drawings in preference to photographs, since the latter offer only the impersonal viewpoint of a mechanicál device Vissza