Anatomy, Artistic; Animals in art; Zoological illustration
Indeed, if, when the head is vertical, the same regions of the face
(forehead, nose) are, in the case of animals as well as man, turned
forward, the lower jaw ceases to merit its appellation, as it is then
situated, not below, but behind the upper. Furthermore, if this
position is chosen, for example, for modelling or drawing, it cannot be
obtained without difficulty when we have to deal with an isolated piece
of the skeleton, on account of the absence of equilibrium, which it is
necessary to obviate. It is true that the question of convenience should
not take precedence of all others, and it suffices for us in this
connection to recall, in regard to the human pelvis, that, although the
older anatomists used to represent it as resting commodiously on the
three angles which terminate it at its lower part (ischial tuberosities
and coccyx), this attitude being false, it is customary now to incline
the superior aspect forwards, inasmuch as this arrangement more nearly
conforms to reality, in spite of the fact that it is a little more
difficult so to dispose an isolated pelvis. Further, to return to the
head; if its vertical direction can be demonstrated, for example, in
many horses, it is not sufficiently general to be adopted as the classic
position.
In regard to the facility of placing in position, the horizontal
direction is certainly to be preferred; but this is also far removed
from the natural position in the animal while in the state of repose. On
the other hand, the mind is not satisfied with the idea that certain
regions of the face, such as the nose and the forehead, are then
directed upwards. And yet it is necessary to come to a decision, seeing
that what we are now investigating applies also to the position to which
it is necessary to give the preference in placing the skeleton of the
head when we wish to draw it in profile. That which we adopt is a
compromise, but to us it seems more rational.
The position of the head of the horse, to be normal, should be such as
to give it an inclination of 45°. In this case the lower jaw is still
posterior; and, for this reason, we see in adopting this position some
inconveniences from a didactic point of view. Accordingly, we will
suppose the head brought a little nearer to the horizontal, and this,
from the imaginative point of view, has certainly an advantage which we
cannot afford to neglect when addressing artists.
Indeed, let us suppose that to a clay model of a human head we wish to
give the aspect of the head of a quadruped. We should elevate the
occiput; and then, taking hold of the lower part of the face, we should
lengthen it, not in a direction precisely antero-posterior, but
downwards and forwards. It is obviously this latter procedure which, on
the other hand, is carried out when a person wishes to give to his own
face some resemblance to the muzzle of a quadruped.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account