Anatomy for the Artist (Hardcover)

In Anatomy for the Artist acclaimed artist and academic Sarah Simblet unveils the extraordinary construction of the human body and celebrates its continuing prominence in Western Art today.

Using superb, specially commissioned photographs of male and female models, together with historical and contempory works of art and her own illustrations, Sarah shows us how to look inside the human frame to map its muscle groups, skeletal strength, balance, poise and grace. Selected drawings superimposed over photographs reveal fascinating relationships between external appearance and internal structure.

Six drawing classes guide the reader to see the human body afresh, offering techniques and attitudes that imagiatively show how to observe and draw the skeleton. head, ribcage, pelvis, hands and feet.

By investigating ten Masterworks, the author shows the knowledge and ideas of different artists across tie, ranging from Holbein's Christ Entombed to Edward Hopper's Hotel Room. Each masterclass presents a photographed model set in the same pose so that anatomical comparisons can be made.

Understanding anatomy is often the key to an artist's understanding and interpretation of the body. This imaginative modern reference book will enhance the drawing and painting techniques of artists at every level.

• More than 250 specially commissioned photographs and 100 drawings are used to reveal and celebrate the body
• Drawings and photographs interact to illustrate the relationship between the surface appearance of the human form and the complexities of its underlying structure
• Practical drawing lessons explain how to visualise and draw each part of the body
• Ten masterpieces examine world-famous paintings, to explore each artist's attitude, knowledge and use of anatomy