2. Why
A n a t o m ic a lly -
C orre c t
S c u lp t u r e
✦ Think back to when you l s in preschool.
C o m p e were U s
What was one of the first things you wanted to
draw? The human body! Even as children, we
strive to create reproductions of the human
body that accurately depict the human form.
There is something innately programmed in us
that drives us to portray the body as closely as
we can to the body as it appears in life!
3. ✦ As you’ve grown older, some of you have no
doubt continued to explore the studio arts, and
no doubt you’ve come a long way since those
first preschool drawings! Your depictions have
much more lifelike than those first stick figures.
But what makes them more lifelike? As you’ve
grown, you’re eye for detail has sharpened.
And, as they say, the devil is in the details! Let’s
explore some of this precise anatomical detail
of a few of the world’s most famous sculptures!
4. M i c h e lan g e lo ’s
“D avi d ”
✦ A sculpture so lifelike, you
half expect him to step down
off his pedestal!
✦ But let’s pick one feature that
makes this piece especially
lifelike: The abdominal
muscles.
5. The Rectus Abdomnus
✦ A group of six muscles (as
you can almost count on
David! Can you say, “Six-
pack?”) that extend from
the ribs to the pelvis
✦ Employed in postural
strength
✦ Participate in breathing,
especially in exhalation
✦ Support “the trunk” or “the
6. Rodin’s “The Thinker”
✦ Another famous sculpture that
has become world renowned
for it’s realism. Who would’ve
thought sitting on your duff
could cause you such fame?!
✦ Let’s take a look at the muscles
The Thinker uses to strike this
iconic pose: The gluteus
maximus
7. The Gluteus Maximus
✦ The largest muscle in your
behind
✦ One of the largest and
strongest muscles in the
whole body
✦ Reaches from pelvic bone to
femur
✦ Causes hip extension and
abduction( moves you
through space)
8. The Statue of Liberty
✦ Like freedom in stone, she stands!
✦ We of course associate this beauty
with her pose: an outstretched arm
which wouldn’t be possible without
one particular muscle: the triceps
9. The Triceps
✦ Primary function to extend the
arm (Say, if you need to hold up a
torch?)
✦ Abducts and extends the shoulder
✦ Makes up two thirds of the upper
arm muscles
10. Pol eit “D oryphoros”
ykl os’
✦ This ripped Greek gentleman
is a one hunk of a human
specimen! He’s practically all
muscle.
✦ Let’s hone in one muscle that
surely would bring in all the
Greek lady statues: The
pectorals
11. Pectoralis Major
✦ Thick, fan-shaped muscle
that acts on the joint of the
shoulder
✦ Adducts the arm, medially
rotates the arm
✦ Largest muscle in the
chest
12. The Venus De Milo
✦ A temptress in marble if there
ever was one!
✦ What is it about her that makes
her so seductive! She doesn’t
even have arms! Let’s look at the
muscles that give her such a
sultry pose: the latissmus dorsi
13. Lat issm Dor si
us
✦ Large pair of triangular muscles
on the thoracic and lumbar areas
of the back
✦ Extends, adducts and rotates the
arm
✦ Draws shoulders back and down
14. ✦ That concludes our exploration of anatomy in
famous sculpture! Work hard at your art and
keep a clear and objective eye when viewing
the body... If you do, who knows? Maybe
your sculpture will be famous one day!
15. ✦
Works Cited:
"Anatomy of the Gluteus Muscles." fitstep.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jul 2012. <http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Anatomy/Glutes.htm>.
✦ "Anatomy of the Triceps Muscles." fitstep.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jul 2012. <http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Anatomy/Triceps.htm>.
✦ Asher, Anne. "The Abdominal Muscle Group." About.com. N.p., 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 05 Jul 2012.
✦ David. N.d. Photograph. wingsdailynews.com. Web. 05 Jul 2012. <http://www.wingsdailynews.com/wp-content/uploads
✦ The “Doryphoros” by Polykleitos ( the Spear Carrier). N.d. Photograph. lifedrawingplus.wordpress.comWeb. 05 Jul 2012. <
http://lifedrawingplus.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/doryphoros1.jpg>.
✦ GREEK ART: Venus de Milo. N.d. Photograph. artchive.com. Web. 05 Jul 2012. <http://www.artchive.com/artchive/g/greek/venus_de_milo.jpg>.
✦ "latissimus dorsi." The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary. 2007. Houghton Mifflin Company 11 Jul. 2012
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/latissimus+dorsi
✦ "pectoralis major." The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary. 2007. Houghton Mifflin Company 11 Jul. 2012
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/pectoralis+major
✦ Rodin's Thinker. N.d. Photograph. dmu.edu. Web. 05 Jul 2012. <http://www.dmu.edu/doseofdmu/files/2012/01/The_Thinker_Rodin-2-713279.jpg>.
✦ Statue of Liberty. N.d. Photograph. wirednewyork.comWeb. 05 Jul 2012. <http://wirednewyork.com/images/city-guide/liberty/liberty.jpg>.
✦ “The Thinker". N.d. Photograph. aupsd.com. Web. 05 Jul 2012. <http://aupsd.com/userfiles/image/thinker2.jpg>.
✦ Torch of Statue of Liberty. N.d. Photograph. wordpress.com. Web. 05 Jul 2012. <
http://patriciahysell.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/statue-of-liberty-torch.jpg?w=720>.
✦ TORSO OF THE DORYPHOROS OF POLYKLEITOS. N.d. Photograph. flickriver.com. Web. 05 Jul 2012. <
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2651/3932109039_b553b8d22b.jpg>.
