The Human Figure

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John H. Vanderpoel, an acclaimed artist in his own right, is most renowned for his legacy as an art instructor and figure-drawing expert. This book, which was originally published in 1907, is among the most highly-regarded texts on figure drawing, and is unparalleled in its careful presentation of every fundamental feature of the human body. Former students like Georgia O'Keefe and Frederick Carl Frieseke have attested to Vanderpoel’s gift for teaching, and now you too can benefit from his sharp eye and insightful advice.

In addition to describing and presenting 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 human figure. Vanderpoel also accounts for an array of physical variations across age groups, sexes, and body types, providing examples of each throughout. Rigorous and rewarding, The Human Figure is a complete course in figure drawing. It will teach you to understand the human body so that you can render it accurately and beautifully in your art.