Webquest  and  Art  History  

The  Human  Figure  in  Art  

The average body is 7 ½ heads tall.

The “ideal” body based on Renaissance proportions is 8 heads tall. Recall that the Renaissance artists based their proportions on those of ancient Greek and Roman statues, which they believed to posses ideal proportions of the human figure.

DaVinci’s    Vitruvian  Man  

Michelangelo,  David  

Auguste  Rodin,    The  Thinker  

Example  comparison  

           David  by:  Michelangelo    What  materials  did  he  use?    What  was  the  arAst  thinking  when  he  created  this?  

           The  Thinker  by:  Auguste  Rodin    Why  this  pose?    Are  these  two  arAsts  connected  in  any  way?  

Some  ques9ons  to  consider  when  doing  your  research:  -­‐  What  materials  did  each  arAst  use,  and  how  does  the  arAst  use  them?    -­‐  Use  adjec5ves  do  describe  what  you  see:  is  the  drawing  or  brushwork  loose,  sketchy,  detailed,  precise?  Do  the  proporAons  of  the  figure  seem  standard,  Classical,  exaggerated?  -­‐  How  is/are  the  figures  posiAoned?  What  are  they  doing?  What  kind  of  seKng  is/are  they  in?  -­‐  What  do  you  think  the  arAst  was  thinking  when  he/she  created  this?  -­‐  What  kind  of  feeling  does  the  arAst  seem  to  be  trying  to  express?    -­‐  Is  the  image  abstract,  and  if  so,  how  so?  -­‐  Is  it  a  completed  composiAon  or  just  a  sketch?  Is  it  finished  or  does  it  look  like  a  preparaAon/study  for  another  work?  -­‐  Look  at  the  examples  on  the  following  slides  and  think  about  what  we  discussed  in  class.  

Michelangelo,    David  

Auguste  Rodin,    The  Thinker  

Dominique  Ingres    Portrait  of  Guillaume  Guillon  Lethière    Graphite  on  paper  •  Finely  rendered  detail  in  face  •  Clothing  and  body  done  with  

loose,  sketchy  flowing  lines  •  Lower  half  of  background  is  

lightly  hatched  to  create  contrast  with  the  clothing  with  is  minimally  shaded  

•  Emphasis  is  clearly  on  the  face  since  it  is  shaded  with  such  precise,  careful  detail  

•  Subject  appears  to  be  looking  directly  at  the  viewer  and  gives  the  impression  of  a  confident,  powerful  man  

Edgar  Degas,  The  Ballet  Rehearsal,  Oil  on  canvas      Loose  but  careful  brushwork  makes  the  figures  appear  to  be  painted  with  more  detail  than  they  actually  are  DirecAonal  lines  of  the  dancers’  body  posiAons  (arms.  legs,  feet)  work  in  harmony    with  the  diagonals  of  the  windows  and  floor  to  draw  the  viewer’s  eye  out  from  the  corner  of  the  cluster  of  figures  in  the  leY  half  of  the  canvas.  

Dorothea  Tanning,  Midi  et  demi  (Half  Past  Noon),  1957,  Oil  on  canvas,    

Dorothea  Tanning,    Insomnies  (Insomnias)  1957,  Oil  on  canvas    

Dorothea  Tanning,    Insomnies  (Insomnias)  1957,  Oil  on  canvas    

Alberto  GiacomeK  Ancient  EgypAans  Ancient  Greek  Sculptors  Artemisia  GenAleschi  Auguste  Rodin  BoKcelli  Caravaggio  Delacroix    Diego  Rivera  Diego  Velazquez    Donatello  Dorothea  Tanning  Leonora  Carrington    Remedios  Varo  Max  Earnst  Edgar  Degas  Giorgio  di  Chirico  Rene  Magri`e  Edward  Hopper  Francis  Bacon  

Francisco  de  Goya  Frida  Khalo  Gustave  Klimt  Tolouse  Lautrec    George  Segal  Gian  Lorenzo  Bernini  Henri  MaAsse  Henry  Moore  Hieronymous  Bosch  John  William  Waterhouse  Leonardo  Da  Vinci    Mary  Cassat    Michelangelo    Pablo  Picasso    Pieter  Bruegel    Rembrandt    Renoir    Salvador  Dali  Thomas  Eakins  Thomas  Gainsborough  Winslow  Homer    

Here  is  an  extended  list  of  ar9sts  you  may  consider: