1. Drawing from the inside

The study of anatomy has perhaps come to be associated with a particular way of making pictures – with something rather “correct”, restrained, quite precise. A consensus developed throughout the 20th century that such discipline would be stifling to individual expression and as a subject of study it was largely abandoned in many art schools.

I believe such a view is mistaken. Anatomy gives us a surer understanding of the figure that in turn helps us to focus on the other things in which we might be interested, such as line, colour and tonality. The insight that anatomy offers can help inform and liberate our creativity; it has a role to play in many different types of figurative art, from refined, precise drawing to looser, more energetic works.

An understanding of anatomy adds to our experience of the figure. The knowledge of what is going on under the surface – not only where but why bumps and shadows occur, and how these are interconnected