An impressive sampling of life drawings by 45 of the art world's greatest masters displays the styles of figure drawing across five centuries, from Dürer and Michelangelo to Modigliani and Derain. Featured artists include Raphael, Rubens, van Dyck, Hogarth, Constable, Ingres, Gauguin, Matisse, Rodin, and others. 45 black-and-white illustrations. Captions.

A gloriously illustrated examination of the origins and development of the nude as an artistic subject in Renaissance Europe Reflecting an era when Europe looked to both the classical past and a global future, this volume explores the emergence and acceptance of the nude as an artistic subject. It engages with the numerous and complex connotations of the human body in more than 250 artworks by the greatest masters of the Renaissance. Paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, and book illustrations reveal private, sometimes shocking, preoccupations as well as surprising public beliefs—the Age of Humanism from an entirely new perspective. This book presents works by Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, and Martin Schongauer in the north and Donatello, Raphael, and Giorgione in the south; it also introduces names that deserve to be known better. A publication this rich in scholarship could only be produced by a variety of expert scholars; the sixteen contributors are preeminent in their fields and wide-ranging in their knowledge and curiosity. The structure of the volume—essays alternating with shorter texts on individual artworks—permits studies both broad and granular. From the religious to the magical and the poetic to the erotic, encompassing male and female, infancy, youth, and old age, The Renaissance Nude examines in a profound way what it is to be human.

Drawing the Nude presents an exciting approach to drawing the human body. Divided into three parts, on structure, anatomy and observation, it introduces a set of principles and develops a treasury of ideas for the artist to follow. Whilst recognizing the importance of observation, it focuses more on a conceptual understanding of the construction of the body in anatomical terms. In doing so, it encourages the cultivation of more informed observation and accommodates those who work from memory, imagination and invention. Contents: the drawing of elementary forms that can then be distorted, transformed and combined, leading on to compound forms; explains the use of light and shadows to express form; explains the gesture of the figure through short drawings that analyse the flow of movement through the body; studies the musculo-skeletal form and provides a set of tools for analysing its parts; uses direct and concise drawings, alongside images of digital sculptures of human anatomy; gives practical instruction relevant to both the novice and the experienced figure artist, as well as those working within the visual effects and game industries.Superbly illustrated with 199 images that include digital sculptures of human anatomy and concise drawings.

Artists have always been fascinated with portraying the nude: the beauty and nuances of the human figure are endlessly absorbing. This practical and inspirational book celebrates and continues that enduring and beautiful tradition by encouraging you to discover your own talent and style. Philip Tyler looks in detail at the key skills and themes, such as perception, proportion, composition, colour and facture, that the artist needs. He then investigates ideas and styles, and encourages you to interpret the nude so your paintings have those elusive qualities of vitality and relevance, which can turn a painting into a masterpiece. He explores the practical, technical and philosophical problems of drawing and painting the nude, with exercises to support each lesson and over 300 images illustrate the text. Aimed at both novices and art graduates, this practical and inspirational guide is illustrated throughout with 320 colour images and there are exercises to support the fifty lessons.

A landmark study of the nude in art—from the ancient Greeks to Henry Moore—by a towering figure in art history In this classic book, Kenneth Clark, one of the most eminent art historians of the twentieth century, examines the ever-changing fashion in what constitutes the ideal nude as a basis of humanist form, from the art of the ancient Greeks to that of Renoir, Matisse, and Henry Moore. The Nude reveals the sensitivity of aesthetic theory to fashion, what distinguishes the naked from the nude, and just why the nude has played such an important role in art history. As Clark writes, “The nude gains its enduring value from the fact that it reconciles several contrary states. It takes the most sensual and immediately interesting object, the human body, and puts it out of reach of time and desire; it takes the most purely rational concept of which man is capable, mathematical order, and makes it a delight to the senses; and it takes the vague fears of the unknown and sweetens them by showing that the gods are like men and may be worshipped for their life-giving beauty rather than their death-dealing powers.” Please note: All images in this ebook are presented in black and white and have been reduced in size.

Giovanni Civardi breaks down the complex process of drawing the male nude, from making rudimentary choices about framing, lighting and the most appropriate drawing tools, to rendering detailed and anatomically accurate artworks. Civardis own masterful drawings provide an excellent touchstone for the artist wanting to explore the depiction of the male body, and his studies of numerous poses cover all aspects of life drawing. Civardi takes a pragmatic, almost scientific, approach to teaching the subject, combining basic physics with artistic interpretation. Drawing the Male Nude also touches upon the significant anatomical differences between the male and the female form, but these are also covered in some detail in the companion to this title, Drawing the Female Nude.

Heinz Tesar, the well-known Austrian architect, built this church as a spiritual centre, an oasis in the diaspora, for Donau City, a new residential and commercial centre of Vienna.

Copying is how we learn. It is the oldest, grandest tradition and essential to an artist's development. Featuring 20 masterpieces by Michelangelo, Modigliani, Matisse and more, The Nude Sketchbook is the first in an innovative new series that combines careful study with independent expression. Each image is paired with a helpful prompt offered by iconic artists, critics and art historians, with plenty of blank space to practice and explore within the theme. Complete with a brief history of life drawing and an introduction to the draughtsman's toolkit, this guided sketchbook equips artists with everything necessary to develop their style and skills. Collect the whole series to broaden your artistic lexicon.

“To paint, draw, or sculpt the human figure is one of the most demanding of artistic problems.... Explores the artistic possibilities and particular problems of female bodies.”—Library Journal.