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An old subject that is always new!
Right through the
ages, humans have painted, drawn
and sculpted the human figure for myriad of purposes that range from the sacred to the profane. Well before any notion of artistic expression has ever existed, the representation of the human figure has always played a pivotal role in the everyday rituals that the early man has conjured up to help in the hunt or maintain fertility and renew the favourable bonds with the natural and supernatural worlds. We, in our modern times, can look well back into history and observe many ancient civilisations and cultures, and have rich and deep understanding of social norms and culture by studying and observing how humans portrayed themselves in relation to their world and each other, largely through the artistic (or otherwise) representation of the human figure. Not only that, but also, a fascinating picture can be drawn of the level of knowledge of themselves, be it scientific or spiritual! Consider, for instance, how old Egyptians have depicted the human figure on the walls of many tombs and temples that have survived until now. We can clearly see that all these elaborate paintings and carvings have in fact but one purpose, that is to preserve the image of the dead Pharaoh during his journey to the underworld and present it to the gods in a perfect form, it didn’t matter at all that this critical representation has mostly born very little or no resemblance to the real person. This sole principle, also, has shaped the way that the human figure has been represented, for this necessitated that the drawn figure has to be in profile posture with all the parts are visible, else the deceased would risk having a part of him (or her) missing if that part was hidden as a result of a more realistic representation. The artist at these times was always considered a mere tool dedicated to the end product and as such, remained unknown. In contrast to the Egyptians whose life was virtually spent in preparation for the thereafter, we have the ancient Greek civilisation that was firmly focused on the here and now! Ancient Greeks interest in the human physique and their intrinsic belief in it’s beauty has led to the rapid development of the way that the artist represented the human figure in life like form with great emphasis on vitality and perfection, which in turn has led to the idealised form that has prevailed through the classical and later the Hellenistic world. we know that well today, by the many examples on hand and the many writings on the subject of the perfect human body and the it’s ideal measurements. The Greek depiction of the human figure was mostly of naked athletic males and the female figure remained of little interest until much later. This ethos was so powerful that even Greek gods have been given the perfect bodies of athletic humans! This cult of the “perfect body image” veneration has, in time, been picked up by the Roman artists and the human (male) figure continued to dominate the art of the era, but with an important development that crept on the inherited Greek style! Roman artists gradually represented the human figure as it really is, warts and all. Gods and mythical heroes remained in idyllic form, while normal people have been portrayed in a very realistic manner. This has preserved the personalities and individuality of those depicted in contrast with Greek art that aimed for the stylised perfection and ideal . This era was also responsible for the gradual introduction of the female nude figure as an object of beauty and pleasure, a subject that reached it’s peak at the Renaissance.
Art has, also, moved to the
other areas of every day's life describing and recording these
new facets alongside mythical heroes and gods. Roman civilisation has, progressively, been taken over by Christianity which has shaped the arts in general and the portraying of the human figure in particular, into a new and most profound way.
Early Christianity severely
restricted the way the human figure was represented due to the
teaching of not allowing any engraved images, for fear of
idols worshipping making a come back.
However it allowed some
paintings of the
Holy Family and some saints and martyrs to be made. These early Christian paintings adhered to a strict code of practice that has survived to this very day and it is most evident in the religious icons of Byzantium, the capital of the eastern part of the newly converted Empire. Byzantine art, was no doubt a departure from the Greek and Roman styles of painting and drawing the human body, it was a return to symbolism and a rejection of the natural style of realism. Early Christian art, however, has introduced one of the most important modern elements into art, that was emotions! Figures in many of these early pictures show intense religious
emotions, and that, in
spite being drawn in that flat
and peculiar way, sets them apart from all preceding centuries of art. For the first time man was able to
make the connection between
his intellect, his most
inner feelings, the way he
perceived the universe, his
relationship with God and
the way he portrayed
himself. Depicting emotions in art allowed it to become a powerful religious teaching tool as well, and that has secured the patronage of the establishment which has provided the impetus for the further progression of art. In the fourteenth century, Giotto’s work is generally considered as a turning point in representing the human figure, it has retained some of the Gothic stiff features still, but made the quantum leap in the way it treated the figure as an organic live entity with realistic clothing, flesh, moods and of course emotions! Next, the discovery of what we know now as the “single vanishing point” led to the establishment of the rules of perspective which added depth to paintings and created the illusion of three dimensions in the confines of a two dimension painting, we could see the artists looking at the human figure in a very different way, employing the rules of perspective, they achieved striking and dramatic effects with foreshortened figures against receding backgrounds with the careful treatment of light creating very realistic effects. Painting the human figure started to become more and more of a social phenomenon in addition to the flourishing religious side, many wealthy people and
dignitaries have had
paintings of themselves or
families commissioned for use as decorative adjunct to their opulent homes, private worship areas and burying crypts. The painting of the human figure has reached a pinnacle in the Renaissance, where the arts and the artists held an esteemed place with many of the art works created in this era representing some of the best and most valuable portions of the human heritage. Gone are the stiff and symbolic figures to be replaced by vibrant images with realistic flesh, glowing skin, eyes, hair, flowing cloths and lifelike surrounds. Arts have also benefited from the strong interest in science and research with anatomy studies reflected in figures depicted and improved pigments and varnishes adding better finishing and durability. The Renaissance, of course, was the gateway to modern times and many of the ideas that sprouted then has taken root and continued flourishing and branching out later into the many disciplines and schools of thought that followed, influencing the arts in the process, with the human figure continuing to be at the centre of interest, still, as a way that man holds a mirror to himself reflecting on the human condition and recording it in an infinite variety of fresh and novel shapes, tones and colours! |