Step 4

Human Figure Oil Painting

The balance, symmetry, variation and general proportions of the human body embodies the harmony of “Golden Ratio” and mankind’s ideal of what is aesthetically pleasing.  In Ancient Greece, the beauty of the human body was what the great sculptors of the time sought to express.  The great Italian masters of the Renaissance period embraced the ideal of humanism and further enriched the beauty of the human form, an example being the statues of “David” by Michelangelo.  When art schools emerged during the 17th and 18th century, the human body became a required component of art education. In addition to the techniques covered in the previous lesson, this video lesson addresses

Creating a study before putting brush to the canvas to explore proportions and dynamics

Creating the ambiance to accentuate the human body

Analyzing the body and how knowledge of anatomy is applied

Colors and skin tone

When and where to create details