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No other image dominate our lives more than the human body.
The human figure inspires, and even manipulates us. They affect what we think of others and ourselves.
The range of imagery of different bodies created is breathtaking through out the history of art.
The human form has dominated the art world since humans began to create art some 80,000years in ancient times. It was only since 30000years ago that art started to take the form of human figures.
The worlds most influential and popular images of the human body share a common trait — they are commonly unrealistic. None really resembles a 100% real human being.
Ever since the discovery of human figures in art, wherever these figures crop up, it’s been observed, that in the same era / and environment, art of the human figure tend to have the same exaggerated key features.
One of the earliest art pieces discovered of the human body is a small 11cm tall statue, 25000 yrs old in Austria, named the Venus of Willendorf. It was discovered in 1908.
The nomadic ice-age artist made her clearly stylized. breast, lower torso, buttocks grossly pronounced no arms or face.
Why were some features more important to the artist than others?
Scientists have learnt that images stimulate the brain of humans. E.g the brain of nomad, hunter gatherers are compelled to be stimulated by their idealized images of well-fedness, and hence fertility.
It seems that how humans appreciate art of the human figure is dependent on how the brain is wired up.
Eygptian Art, large collection of human figure art. but is markedly contrasting to the venus. The stylization is 2d flattened. proportionally similar throughout. The egyptians never changed this style for more than 3000 years. This in contrast to a nomadic culture. They are a civilization, highly organized and socially regulated, freedom restrained. obsession with permanence and order. this is also apparent in their buildings and statues, and everything they built.
How human figure is created seems to be influenced by culture.
Ancient Greece in contrast, create highly realistic human forms. The Greeks believed in many Gods. These gods have human forms, and their bodies were thought to be highly athletic and perfect. The greeks hence valued highly atheletic human physiques. Ancient Greeks learnt the craft of creating large statue monuments from Ancient egyptians. But unlike the Egyprians, ancient greek statues (mostly created for temples and representing the greek gods). They were more 3d and realistic, but this developed quickly towards more had highly exaggerated muscular definitions and contraposto poses to further enhance the atheletic forms of the body…to the point that made them more unrealistic. It was the greek culture to create statues of their idealized human.
The human figure represent a particular aspect of our culture. Our society/values dictate how we depict the human body.
As cultural values change what artist choose to exaggerate about the body change too.
Modern society is more culturally diverse, and what we represent as images of the human body changes along with the media and audience for which these images were created on and for.
Observe the contrasts between the pin headed catwalk models, huge breasted pin-up girls and caricature / manga art of comic artists. These art of the human figure is deliberately unrealistic, but they inspire different emotions in our human minds.
