The first two chapters
of the book are dedicated to a discussion of human proportions, anatomical knowledge, cultural values, and aesthetic
development in Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic Greek art, as well as in art of the Renaissance.
Chapters 3 and 4
study anatomy and the structure of the body using an approach specifically directed toward movement, dynamism, and proportional harmonies. At the core of my method, which follows the Renaissance tradition, is the study of the body’s landmarks and the origin and insertion of muscles.
Understanding these muscular-skeletal connections is essential to appreciating the human form’s structure holistically and is indispensable for accessing the body’s dynamic and aesthetic connections, concepts treated in chapters 5 and 6
.
Chapters 7 and 8
are devoted, respectively, to the hands and head, exploring both their structural and their expressive qualities.
Each chapter investigates a specific method of thinking and looking at the human form, giving the reader a multifaceted understanding of
this infinite subject while promoting creativity and personal style.
This approach is continued in chapter 9
, where various drawing techniques are connected to different conceptual analyses of the human form. Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to “read” the human form in depth, appreciate its fascinating complexity, avoid a tedious and passive imitative approach, and create accurate, expressive, and aesthetically unique works of art.