1. The Figure in Art History

2. Fertility P R E H I S T O R I C Venus of Willendorf
Artists have been making depiction of the human form for close to 30,000 years. The Venus of Willendorf is from around 24,000-22,000 BC. This powerful object is only 4 3/8” high. The form and styles of human figures mirror the ideas of the cultures creating them. This shape suggests abundant fertility and a plentiful supply of food--the two most important needs of any society.
Venus of Willendorf
c. 24,000-22,000 BC

3. Unchanged
E G Y P T I A N
Egyptians were probably the first group to develop a canon of proportions for their image of the ideal human form. The ratios between a figure’s height and all of its component parts set the height of the human body from hairline to heel at 18 times the width of the fist.
Different parts of the body are shown in profile and from a frontal view in the same picture. The goal was to represent each part from its most characteristic angle. Egyptian art was unchanged from early to late periods because they followed these rigid proportions

4. Contrapposto 8 Heads G R E E K
Greek artists introduced contrapposto--a way of representing the human body so that it’s weight appears to be borne on one leg in a natural rather than stiff pose. These sculptures show this progression from the early Archaic to the High Classical periods in Greek art.
Greek artists eventually created a classical standard, defined by a cannon of proportion which may have used the height of the head as a measure for judging the human form. A male was thought to be about 8 heads tall.

5. R O M A N
Realism
During the time from BCE, the Greeks had much influence on the continent and would help mold the artwork of what would become the Roman Empire.
Roman art became more realistic with time and accurate depictions of real people are shown in the portrait busts of the married Roman couple. Roman art was also used as a propaganda device to strengthen the power of such leaders as Emperor Augustus.

6. Foreshortening Italian R E N A I S S A N C E LEONARDO DaVINCI
In Renaissance Italy the figure progressed to be more expansive in subject matter; there was the realistic depictions of figures and the development of linear perspective and foreshortening...figures began to take on new qualities of spatial dimension in two dimensional works
MICHELANGELO

7. Elongation M A N N E R I S M Paragianino Ammanati
A group of artists in Italy developed a style around 1520 called Mannerism. It was a way of distorting the figure to enhance the emotional impact of a painting.
Take note of the elongation of the neck and fingers in the Madonna and Child; they look like the do not have any bones in them. These two examples are close to 9.5 heads tall compared to the classical Greek 8.
Paragianino
Elongation
Ammanati

8. Everyday Life IMPRESSIONISM Renoir Degas
At the end of the 1800s we see the rise of Impressionism and the figure is most often depicted in the acts of everyday life.
The figures are painted as part of the environment in which they are depicted.
Life
Degas

9. Experimentation M O D E R N I S M Henry Moore Egon Schiele Picasso
20th century, Modernism opened up experimentation in figural art. Expression over realism and deconstruction of the human form became the norm.
Egon Schiele
Picasso

10. The images and information in this PowerPoint Presentation derived from the ppt. “The Figure in Art Through History: A Mirror of Cultural Ideas.”
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