From Static to Dynamic: A Study in the Evolution of Movement. A survey of art history focused on the internal axis, straight or curved, of the human figure. The history of the development of an idea, as seen in Figurative Art

In the history of art, a basic concept of the human figure is its internal axis, an imaginary line which runs through the head, neck, trunk and limbs. It is identified with the movement and gesture of the figure. We trace the evolution of this line from Cycladic figurines (2500 BC) to the present time. Of particular interest is the development of Greek sculpture in the Archaic-Classical-Hellenistic periods (approximately from 650 BC to 200 BC), in which we see a great blossoming of naturalism that deeply informed the work of the Renaissance masters, especially Michelangelo. We follow the subsequent history of this sense of the natural, in the work of Rembrandt, Bouguereau, and Norman Rockwell.

Anthony Ryder is the author of The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing. He has taught workshops at the Gage Academy since 1993.

FREE FOR GAGE MEMBERS.

This lecture will be streaming live via Zoom.