During a figure-drawing demonstration, artist Robert Liberace showed that an attuned focus on and knowledge of anatomy can lead to strong depictions of the human body.

When I look at Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Slaying Holofernes, I always focus on Judith’s clenched fist in the foreground; to me, it reinforces the physical violence of the scene. Viewing Auguste Rodin’s Burghers of Callais I gain a heightened awareness of my own body, as if I too were experiencing physical fatigue and despair depicted in the hunched shoulders and weary stances of the figures. The sensation is like looking in a mirror, even though I share no resemblance to the subject. This is, in part, because of the rendering of the human form—in both works the artists display such anatomical accuracy and virtuosity that one can’t help but identify with the physicality of the images.

Showing the human form in states of rest and repose as well as physical exertion takes a great deal of understanding of how the body functions. At a recent gallery show opening, displaying the work of artist-instructor Robert Liberace, one could see the human figure in various stages of action—pulling, sprinting, climbing, perching, and pushing. He even pared down the classic mythological tale of Sisyphus to its most basic element—a male figure struggling, with his adversary (the stone) nowhere in sight. There were also loose-limbed reclining figures and those standing contrapposto, with their weight on one foot and hips and shoulders tilted in counterpoint. Some of the paintings and drawings also showed multiple images of the same figure performing sequential movements, echoing Eadweard Muybridge’s photos of human beings in motion—playing lawn tennis, climbing stairs, and doing back flips.

The artist was on hand at the gallery to meet students, fans, and collectors, and while there he also gave a figure-drawing demonstration. As he drew the torso of the model, he discussed the anatomy of the figure, explaining it as though it were a guiding force in the development of his drawing. As he honed in on the shoulder muscles, he called each by its Latin name: terres major, terres minor, clavicle, scapula. Likewise when he was rounding out the figure’s abdomen, he drew attention to each muscle’s anatomical structure. All the while, the artist positioned and repositioned his pencil and the direction of his line to mimic the way the muscles that he was drawing actually fit together, building up layers of hatching lines to create the illusion of shape.

 “Did you see that?” one onlooker asked her companion as she watched Liberace work.  “Poof! It just appeared!” Although the artist made it appear effortless, it wasn’t quite a magical “poof” that created Liberace’s drawing. His sound knowledge of anatomy strengthens his ability to create convincing depictions of the human form. Indeed, artists of all levels can gain much from studying human anatomy. If you can’t attend a workshop taught by an artist such as Liberace, or don’t have the time to enroll in full-time courses, Anatomy for Artists is a DVD seminar that can give you a wide-ranging understanding of the skeletal system, musculature, body mechanics, and proportions, all of which can help you create effective drawings and paintings of the human body. For more information about Rob Liberace's work, visit his website and Arcadia Fine Arts.

---