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Subjects: Figure |
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What do artists find so compelling about the human body?
Artists continue to depict the human figure because it is so richly complex, and because it reveals intimate truths about our selves and our lives. Artists are interested in capturing nuances of our physical appearance, but also in revealing the complexities of our character, spirit, and psychological nature. Their images are often much more than portraits or studies in form — they might also express ideals of beauty, or important historical, religious, or social values. Nothing expresses our humanity better than images of the human figure.
Art personified
No other subject is more difficult and important for the artist to portray than the human figure. Like the still life, the subject of the human figure is both symbolically potent and technically challenging. Figural images tend to fall into two categories: the figure study and the portrait.
Figure studies: The essence of human form
Figure studies test an artist's ability to capture the essence of human form. The identity of the model is not always important in a figure study, and the study may be preliminary to a more finished work of art (which may have an historical, religious or other focus). Since depicting the body is so challenging, artists often make numerous studies from the model — the tilt of the head, the gesture of a hand, the ripple of muscles in a shoulder, the light in an eye — before including the finished figure in the final work of art. Some figure studies are so masterfully rendered that they become masterpieces in their own right — and are highly sought after by collectors.
About face:
Our cultural history is full of portraits: paintings, drawings and photographs, sculpture, coins. They range in size from the miniature portrait of a lover in a locket to the colossal statue of an emperor on a tomb. Portraits may also be formal exercises, as what part of the body is more subtle and challenging than the face? Or, they may be commissions, representations of known individuals who pay the artist to create their likeness.
Beyond face value
Consider the dilemma of an artist commissioned to paint a portrait. Does the artist paint what the person looks like, or what the person wants to look like? Does the artist reveal some aspect of the subject — personality, personal history, or profession — that isn't immediately apparent to the eye? This is no casual aesthetic problem. If the patron is a powerful individual, how the artist resolves the problem may be a life or death matter — if not literally, at least professionally. Sometimes, the professional portraitist opts for a flattering image that will please the patron and keep the artist in business.
But some artists treat portraits as an ideal opportunity to explore psychology, social issues, beauty myths, and other ideas. In the hands of a gifted artist, a portrait can show that there is more to humanity than what we see at face value. Portraiture at its best is intimate and insightful, potent and poetic.
Next:
Narrative — What do contemporary stories by artists have to do with me? |
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