Customer Reviews

A Handbook of Anatomy for Art Students (Dover Anatomy for Artists)

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This is an intriguing book for several reasons--first, it must pointed out that it contains some shocking statements about race that seem to be based on an odd hybrid of neoclassicism and social Darwinism. Skulls of different races (highly caricatured) are compared to Greek ideals using arcane measurements, and this becomes a springboard for a twisted argument about racial superiority that was, alas, probably quite maintstream during the 1920's. Additionally, many photographs of live models have been strangely doctored; the faces appear to have been painted over to resemble Greek classical sculpture, which, instead of looking beautiful, is rather grotesque... equally hideous (although understandable for the time) is the rubbing out of the models' genitals.

That being said, the anatomical plates are beautifully drawn and numerous, with a great deal of useful information. Unlike many other books, photographs of models in bended and tensed poses are compared with diagrams that show the muscles in those same positions, depicting their contracted and expanded states. Also, this is the ONLY anatomy book I've ever seen that compares male and female antatomy in any depth, showing differences in proportion and skeletal structure (with particular attention to the pelvis). These are elements that Elliot Goldfinger's otherwise beautiful book are sorely lacking. For those reasons, this is a key book for any serious figurative artist.

I agree with Paulybrooklyn. If one is willing to look past certain anachronisms, this book will be very useful. I recommend this book to those who have already committed anatomy to memory -- those who desire more in-depth coverage on how the anatomy affects the topography of the body -- accounting for the differences in gender and body type. For those who have Eliot Goldfinger's book, this text is a great companion. Be prepared for slight differences in nomenclature (e.g tensor fasciae femoris = tensor fascia lata... internus=medialis etc.)

A fiendishly difficult read, but worth the trouble if you are serious about conventional artist's anatomy. What makes this a beast is the difficulty of describing body features with no mame; this furrow, that dimple etc. Professor of anatomy at Oxford and also at the Royal Academy of Arts, Thompson has an enthusiasm for the structural marvels of the human form that smacks of obsession. Terribly British in ways you can only imagine.

I have several books on anatomy and this is one of the best written, clearest and most comprehensive books on the subject. I won't say this book is for the newbie. You have to be familiar with a fair amount of terminology, mostly muscle names and the skeleton. But the descriptions of body parts, their origins and insertions, their functions and surface forms--it's all here. The writing style is a little stilted by modern standards, but you have to remember it was written about a hundred years ago. Fortunately, most of what we know regarding artistic anatomy hasn't changed in 500 years. If you're familiar with Dr. Paul Richer's Artistic Anatomy (a great work in itself, especially the illustrated plates), this book has much of the same information, but less medical or scientific in approach. It's more accessible, easier to read and digest. The illustrations are very good. There are numerous photos of models, male and female in various poses, and often with accompanying flayed illustrations of the same pose, showing the position of different muscles. For propriety sake the genitals (male and female) have been air brushed. Of course, the outline of the scrotum was left on the male model to some comical effect. But all in all this is a great essential book. Highly recommended.

This is more like a text book with very few poor quality older drawings and photos of models. Nothing is more disturbing than blurred areas of the anatomy in a photo, looks more like mutilation than modesty. Essentially, this is an old book with a new cover, and it is not a handbook.