Art and designThe human form Perfection and Abstraction

Why do we create objects in human form?

We want to give a form to a god or spiritual being

We want to represent ourselves

We strive to create a perfect human

We wish to celebrate and remember a person

We want to experiment with our bodies

We try to understand and record unfamiliar or new peoples

We want to communicate the power of an individual

We are interested in ourselves

We want to commemorate an ancestor

We want to portray emotions and feelingsWe want to entertain

We want to give our children something to play with

We want to define our own identity

We want to depict the people we admire – heroes, heroines, idols

What are the basic features of the human body?

head

body

arms

legs

On the right is one of the earliest examples of a representation of the human form.

It is over 10,000 years old and comes from Jordan in the Middle East.

It is made from lime plaster stuck onto bound reeds and twine.

Even though it is simple, it is immediately recognisable as a human.

The human form: art and design

Perfection

The ideal body

All cultures have their own ideas about perfection and the ideal body.

We can learn a lot about a culture and society by looking at what they thought was the ideal human form.

• What are some examples of the qualities of perfection of the human form in our society?

• What do these tell us about our society?

• Which figures or people are represented in ideal forms?

• How are these images and values spread around society? Gilded bronze figure of Tara, a

Buddhist goddess Sri Lanka, 8th century AD

Michelangelo, Study for Adam, a drawing study for the ceiling of the Sistine ChapelItaly, about AD 1510-11

‘Discus thrower, mid 5th century BC Roman copy of bronze Greek originalMarble, Height: 1.7m

In the Classical world (ancient Greece and Rome), there were strong and well-known ideas about what made the perfect form.

These ideas were revived and spread during the Renaissance 1500 years later.

What similarities can you see here?

Are these still considered desirable today?

Muscular and strong

Symmetry and harmony in the body

This is a brass head of a king from Ife in Nigeria, from around the 12th – 14th centuries.

How would you describe this head? Is it realistic? Is it idealised? What other words can you find to describe its form?

How has the face been decorated?

Why is a king a good figure to examine when considering ideal forms?

Ideal forms in West Africa

This figure is wearing a crown and a plume.

The face appears to have been enhanced with scarification – the thin vertical lines you can see were probably signs of status.

The holes around the mouth may have had additional ornamentation attached, possibly a beard.

Compare the realism of this head with the stylised sculptures and mosaics from Medieval Europe of a similar period.

Ideal forms in West Africa

Both scarification and body paint are used to enhance the natural human body to attain an ideal form – without it, the body is incomplete.

Examine this figure from the Ekkpo society.

Can you find the following?• raised facial scars • filed teeth• bracelets • black and white body painting

How is strength and power suggested?

Ideas of perfection in West Africa

The human form: art and design

Abstraction

Ideal forms vary widely from region and period in time.

This is a fertility doll from the Asante people in Ghana.

If an Asante woman could not have children, she would consult a priest who would give her a doll. She would carry the doll on her back, in the position a real child is carried, until she became pregnant.

Which features appear important on this doll?

Abstraction in West Africa

Did you identify…

• the broad forehead?• the prominent eyebrows?• the small mouth?• the long, ringed neck?• the breasts?• the navel?

Why do you think the dolls were flat?

These dolls represent ideal forms of beauty for the unborn child.

In many African sculpting traditions the head is elongated to reflect its importance.

Abstraction in West Africa

The human body can be suggested very simply.

• Look at this sculpture: how have the features of the body been shown?

• When do you think this sculpture was made?

• Are there any clues in its form to suggest why it was made?

Abstraction in ancient Greece

This is a sculpture from ancient Greece and is between 4000 and 5000 years old. Sculptures like this were often placed in graves.

They fascinated 20th century artists who admired them for their simplicity and elegance of form.

Abstraction in ancient Greece

Look at the work of Henry Moore who studied and sketched in the British Museum.

The inspiration he found in the British Museum was critical in his development of monumental sculptures which are abstractions of the human form.

The human form: art and design

Additional images

Youth carrying a wine jarpainting on a potAthens, GreeceAbout 480 BC

Lithograph and relief print in red, yellow ochre and black, on pink-coloured tissue paperby Stella Steyn (1907-1987)About1933 © Estate of Stella Steyn, courtesy of the Gorry Gallery, Dublin

Painted wooden board of a figurePapua New Guinea20th century

Papercut made of bark paperMexico1990s

Visit the main Museum websitewww.britishmuseum.org

Explore contains over 4000 highlight objects from the Museum’s collection.You can use Explore to search for more objects showing the human form.www.britishmuseum.org/explore/explore_introduction.aspx