The Figure in Art

The Genre Throughout Art History

The representation of the figure in art changes as human needs and artistic

expression evolved.

Early figure images served only communication and religious purposes. Later, portraits captured images of the

living. After the invention of thecamera, figure art became highly

creative and expressive.

Throughout history, figures are represented as drawings, paintings, and

sculpture.

Sculpture achieved a realistic appearance before drawings and

paintings of figures. However, drawing and painting used modern art styles to illustrate the figure before sculpture.

PREHISTORIC FIGURES

• Line drawings of figures, similar to “stick figures.”• Told stories and communicated

before written language.

Human figurefrom Ain Ghazal, Jordan

c. 6,750 - 6,250 BCEplaster, painted and inlaid with cowrie shell and bitumen

Early depictions of the human figure were simple abstractions of form.

Venus of Willendorfc. 28,000 - 22,000 BCELimestone, 4 3/8 in. high

This shape suggests abundant fertility and a plentiful supply of food--the two most important needs of any society.

These types of figures were common in prehistoric times. The early artists who made such figures were nomadic--moving around to find better food, shelter, and weather conditions. These small sculptures were made from available materials and were small enough to carry.

PRE-COLUMBIAN FIGURES

• Figures were mostly stylized sculptures.• Represented gods and other deities

for worship and ceremonies.

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN FIGURES

• Figure drawings were flat looking, with heads and feet in profile, while the body faced forward.• Most important figures were shown

larger than others.

Egyptians were probably the first group to develop a canon of proportions for their image of the ideal human form. The ratios

between a figure’s height and all of its component

parts were clearly prescribed. This cannon

set the height of the human body from hairline

to heel at 18 times the width of the fist.

Profile head

Forward facing torso

Profile legs & feet

ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN FIGURES

• Figures were often used in storytelling, especially mythology. • Drawings were still flat looking, but

sculptures were very realistic.

Storytelling on Ceramic Vases & Urns

Figures from

Mythology

Greek artists eventually created a classical standard,

defined by a cannon of proportion which may have used the height of the head as a measure for judging the

human form. A male was thought to be about

eight heads tall.

Lysippos, The ScraperRoman copy

after the original bronzeof c. 330 BCE

Marble, height 6 ft. 9 in.

Celebrated for their mastery of sculpture,Greek artists introduced contrapposto--a way of

representing the human body so thatit’s weight appears to be borne on one leg,

in a natural stance, rather than stiff pose.

MIDDLE AGES FIGURES

• Figures were beginning to develop a little more in form.• Used in picturing religious and

medieval scenes.

Lack of Perspective

Old looking children

RENAISSANCE FIGURES

• With the discovery of perspective, figures had more realistic form. • Figures continued in religious

depictions, but also became popular as portraits of the clergy and wealthy patrons. • In time, portraiture grew to include the

middle class.

Albert VII, Archduke of Austriaand Marie de Medici

Children became younger looking

A group of artists in Italy developed a style around 1520 CE called Mannerism.

Is was a way of distorting the figure to enhance the emotional impact of a painting.

CaravaggioEntombmentChapel of Pietro Vittrice, Santa Maria in VallicellaRome, Italyc. 1603, oil on canvas9 ft. 10 1/8 in. x 6 ft. 15/16 in.

The Baroque and Rococo periods brought with them another dose of drama, not unlike the Hellenistic period of Greek art. Things were exaggerated, lighting was dramatic, and figures were frequently contorted into active poses.

19TH CENTURY FIGURES

• The invention of the camera had a profound effect on figures in art, especially portraiture. • Artists began painting “genre” (figures

in everyday life situations). • Figure painting and sculpture changed

from realistic to more impressionistic styles.

“The Doves” by Richard MacDonald

As we entered the 20th century, modernism gave way to all kinds of experimentation in figural art as in all art. Clockwise from top left:

Umberto Boccioni, Pablo Picasso, Henri Moore, Egon Schiele, Lucian Freud, Alice Neel

20TH CENTURY FIGURES

• Monuments were made to immortalize prominent figures in history. • A wide variety of art styles create

figures that are abstract, expressionistic, or realistic. • Expensive portraits are usually only

painted because of prestige.

“Lincoln Memorial” by Daniel Chester French

“Iwo Jima” Memorial by Felix de Weldon

Current Trends in Figurative Work

Zach Johnson

Kehinde Wiley

Silhouettes

Kara Walker