Anatomy Lessons of The Great Masters (Practical Art Books) [Hardcover]

Robert Beverly Hale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1977

Reveals the drawing principles behind 100 inspiring masterpieces by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rubens, Raphael, Durer, Titian, Rembrandt, and others.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters provides an anatomical counterpart to Robert Beverly Hale's classic reference book, Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters. Terence Coyle, who for several years assisted Hale at the Art Students League of New York, kept detailed notes of Hale's lectures and teaching methods. He combined these notes with 100 drawings to illustrate how the great masters portrayed specific parts of the human physique. As Hale points out, master artists such as Rembrandt, Leonardo, and Raphael "absorbed the technical details of anatomy so well that these details could be set down instinctively.... If an artist has to occupy his mind with the task of clumsily grouping the elemental facts of anatomy as he draws, there can be little room left for really important matters--such as the spirit of the drawing and the artist's expressive intent." Coyle provides several examples within the study of each anatomical area to illustrate the variety of styles and methods employed by the masters. The book treats, in order, the rib cage, the pelvis and thigh, the knee and lower leg, the foot, the shoulder girdle, the arm, the hand, and the neck and head. A complete series of anatomical reference plates by Dr. Paul Richer is included. By applying the timeless anatomical principles the great masters have handed down to us, any artist can begin to acquire the means by which to express the "really important matters." --Mary Ribesky --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

It's rare to find good, comprehensive books on drawing the anatomy. Each of these the first, the return of a classic; the second, a focused study; and the third, lessons from the masters deserves a place on library shelves. Bridgman was a legendary teacher at New York's Art Students' League. There, he originated a system of drawing known as "constructive anatomy." In 1952, his seven books on anatomy were gathered into one volume, which became a standard work at art schools and universities. Published now for the first time in paperback, it holds up as an indispensable volume, with more than 200 illustrations of hands and hundreds of images of arms, shoulders, heads, torsos, legs, knees, and feet. Fairley's book concentrates on those troublesome extremities hands and feet. Sketchbook exercises are followed by eight detailed painting demonstrations in watercolor, oil, and other media. Fairley then continues on to portraits in which variations in age, skin tone, composition, mood, and movement are integrated. Advanced students will find Hale and Coyle's Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters a rich source of inspiration. Hale, like Bridgman, was one of the great teachers at the Art Students' League. His student, Coyle, gathered together Hale's famous lectures to produce this compendium. Hale drew on principles found in 100 masterpieces by such artists as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rubens, Raphael, D?rer, Titian, and Rembrandt. In 1995, Giovanni Civardi's trilogy Drawing Human Anatomy (Sterling, 1995), Drawing the Female Nude (Sterling, 1995), and Drawing the Male Nude (LJ 3/15/96. o.p.) reached a high standard for good, basic books in this genre. These three surpass Civardi's works and are highly recommended for serious artists and comprehensive library collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (January 1, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823002225
• ISBN-13: 978-0823002221
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #671,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Over-worked pseudo-intellectualized error-packed compendium, December 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Anatomy Lessons of The Great Masters (Practical Art Books) (Hardcover)

This book is best used for viewing its selection of Master Drawings many of which are superb. However, its written text is filled with multitudes of factual errors and pseudo-intellectualizations. It should be noted that this book was not written by Hale; it was written by one of his students and lacks the quality of Hale's classic, "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters." Instead, this book loses itself in unimportant, erroneous anatomical minutia which will baffle, confuse, frustrate and ultimatly demoralize the motivated reader. It greatly misses the mark in both clarity and presentation of important anatomical theory.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop wasting time and buy it!, December 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Anatomy Lessons of The Great Masters (Practical Art Books) (Hardcover)

This is the best book you can find if you want to learn about how to sketch the human figure. Buy it and start copying the sketches inside. Over and over again! Imitating the old masters will teach you things you never dreamed of and will rub off on you when you do your own work. This book has excellent reproductions of 100 super drawings. Each drawing even has accompanying commentary. By the time you're done, you will understand like never before why the drawings work, and you will be able to look at other drawings and understand them better, as well. Stop wasting time reading this review...BUY THE BOOK!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent content, September 28, 2002

By 

Benjamin F Barker (West Chester, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anatomy Lessons From the Great Masters (Paperback)

An excellent book on artistic anatomy. Reading this one book has taught me more than some figure drawing classes. A systematic deconstruction of how the masters of artistic anatomy have integrated their knowledge into some of the greatest drawings of all time. The book goes through the drawings of famous artists, categorized by the region of the body on which the drawings are focused, and attempts to explain how extensive knowledge of anatomy has been effectively applied. It touches on how these artists could create drawings which are more powerful than merely a photographic rendering of the model through their use of anatomy.

Unfortunately, the book is very cheaply bound. Entire leaves have detached themselves from the spine, though I have treated the book very well. My copy has turned into a stack of paper and scotch tape, wrapped loosely in its former cover. Despite that fact, I still consider it worth the purchase.

I have both this book and "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters." Both are excellent books, but if you must only buy one, get this one. It is the better of the two.