The Human Figure (Dover Anatomy for Artists)

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This classic study of human anatomy for artists remains unrivaled in its meticulously detailed presentation of each fundamental feature of the human figure. Legendary art instructor John H. Vanderpoel compiled this volume toward the end of his tenure at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1907. Ever since, it has been read like a bible by thousands of figure drawing students around the world.

The Human Figure is notable for its careful examination of the thousands of features that, together, compose the human body. Every detail is discussed-the gentle overhang of the upper lip; the slight puckering at the corners of the mouth; how the spine appears ‘depressed’ when juxtaposed with the muscular fullness of the shoulders on either side-and 430 of the author’s own charcoal and pencil drawings bring them to life. In addition to cataloging bodily features and their interactions, this book calls your attention to innumerable subtle points of shading, lighting, curvature, proportion, foreshortening, muscular tension, etc. around the body. Vanderpoel also accounts for an array of physical variations across age groups, sexes, and body types, providing examples of each throughout. A time-honored approach to artistically rendering the human figure, this book is a complete course in truly understanding the structure of the human figure.