Drawing the Human Figure chapter 12
This copy after a drawing by Taddeo Zuccaro also shows the
human figure as a block, although it is more detailed than
the drawing by Poussin. Zuccaro defined the planes that are
facing the light and the planes that are facing away from the
light, just as Poussin did. You can see how all the planes of
the body, which are in shadow, face the same direction.
There is no conflicting light source. Zuccaro has portrayed a
direct light source and has consistently obeyed it in his
drawing. The back, the backs of the legs, and the side of the
right arm are all planes facing the same direction—away
from the light. Consequently, they are all in shadow. On the
side of the body that is in the light, the left side as we look
at it, Zuccaro has to make a distinction between the back,
side, and front planes of the body in order to construct a
block; in other words, give the figure a sense of three
dimensions. He has defined the side of the block, or the side
plane, by some very carefully observed modeling, or shad-
ing, of the lower part of the scapula and the rib cage, and by
placing a shadow under the armpit. He is not forming a
straight, clean edge with this shading because the planes of
a figure are rounded. This is why drawing the figure is a
challenge. Consider a building, where one wall or plane
meets another wall or plane, and forms a clean, straight
edge (unless the building is old). It is easy to define walls or
planes here, as they have edges. A human body does not
have such a defined edge. The job of the artist who wishes
to represent the figure three-dimensionally is to find ways to
differentiate the front plane of the body from the side plane
of the body, and the side plane from the back plane. He has
to shade or use line to suggest the edge of the plane.
Zuccaro defined only a small section of the front plane of
the figure. He ended the front plane by using a broken up
dark line to trace the curves of the chest, torso, and stomach.
He has also used small shapes of shadow under the left arm
to show the underneath portion, the underneath plane of
the arm, to distinguish it from the side and top planes
of the arm.
As you draw the figure more and more, you will be able to practice drawing a line to follow the contours of the body. Note
how sensitively Zuccaro draws the line around the form of the body. This line is not the same value everywhere. It is broken
up in places. A flat uniform and complete line drawn around the whole body will not appear three-dimensional. Note that
this is an unfinished drawing, so the torso has not been completed.
Copy after Taddeo Zuccaro’s Nude Male Figure with
Upraised Arms,by J. S. RobinsonCONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE