For this research point I was asked to research artists who explore the structure of the body.

The first artist who immediately came to mind was Leonardo Da Vinci. Da Vinci is an artist who is famous for his drawings on the mechanics of the human body. 

One of Da Vinci’s most famous works is The Vitruvian Man completed in 1490. 

This is a pen and ink drawing on paper that depicts a man in two  positions within a circle and a square. It is accompanied by notes on the ideal proportions of the human body based on the work of the Roman architect Vitruvius. Such as how big a hand should be in relation to its fingers and how big a foot should be in relation to its hand. 

In this drawing Da Vinci demonstrates the mechanics of the male human body, he shows that this man can both simultaneously fit  within the four sides of the square when he stretches out his arms and when in a spread eagle position he can fit inside a circle. 

The Vitruvian Man is just one example of Da Vinci’s exploration of the mechanics of the human body.

Da Vinci is also known for exploring the mechanics of the human body by dissecting corpses. He would dissect dead human remains and then draw what he saw. 

His studies were presented as drawings of parts of the human body surrounded by notes and observations about how they function.

Below are some examples:

The first thing I notice about these drawings is how they are exquisitely detailed and seemingly perfectly accurate. The notes describe how the bones and the muscle fit together and the mechanisms of how everything works. I found this fascinating to look at and I felt almost like I was looking at a medical journal. 

In order to learn more about Da Vinci’s anatomy drawings I watched an episode of The Culture show on the BBC called ‘Leonardo Da Vinci- The Anatomist.’ This show was hosted by art critic Alastair Sook who looked at Da Vinci’s anatomy drawings. Here I discovered that Da Vinci through his drawings of the mechanisms of the human body actually made many medical discoveries, including the first accurate depiction of the human spine as well as the first known description of cirrhosis of the liver.

This television show states that these anatomy drawings by Da Vinci lay undiscovered for hundreds of years- (possibly because cutting up corpses was illegal at the time unless you were a physician.) 

It also explores the theory that if Da Vinci’s drawings were discovered earlier they could have transformed the history of medical knowledge. 

I found researching Da Vinci both fascinating and inspiring, and I have been inspired to learn more. I look forward to completing my own drawings using his methods of proportions and measuring each body part in relation with each other in order to strive for accuracy. 

The next artist I decided to look at explores the mechanisms of the human body in a much more contemporary, but equally fascinating (if not a more gruesome way) than Da Vinci. 

Gunther Von Hagens is a German anatomist who is known for displaying dead bodies without their skin, often taking part in a sporting activity. Below are some examples of his work: 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gunther-von-hagens-human-body-corpse-worlds-exhibition-london-corpse-display-a8570581.html%3famp

Gunther Von Hagens invented the technique ‘plastination.’ This is a technique that uses polymer chemistry to preserve biological tissue by replacing water in cells with plastic material. Each body can take 1500 hours and  can cost an approximate twenty five thousand pounds.

Gunther Von Hagens wanted to bring life back to anatomy. He also wanted people to know and understand anatomy and the mechanisms of the human body. He wanted people to understand themselves. He felt that displaying real dead bodies in this way was the most effective way of achieving this. 

One of the things Gunther Von Hagens wanted to do was to show the viewer what happens to the human body if it is mistreated, for example the comparison between a smokers lungs and a non smokers lungs. This was to emphasise the importance of a healthy lifestyle. 

It has been questioned whether Gunther Von Hagens work can be considered art or whether it is purely science? 

I wonder if the fact people had to die in order for these works to be created has any influence over this answer? 

I feel that Gunther Von Hagens work is clearly the science of anatomy and has an amazing learning aspect to it, however I can also see how it can be considered art as well? His works are deliberate and exhibited? He clearly spends a great deal of time presenting his work, making sure everything is smooth, and looking good. If these works were purely for science, making the bodies look good may not be as important? The bodies are also arranged in different positions, again if this was just science would there be a need for this? 

I found lots of similarities between the two artists I have looked at. Namely both artists being anatomists, and both anatomists presenting their findings in exceptionally artistic ways, both managing to keep their bodies alive after death. Ways in which both shocked their audiences of their time and causing great controversy. Da Vinci worked illegally and secretively dissecting dead bodies, whilst Gunther Von Hagens displayed dead bodies in exhibitions without their skin, for all to see- something never to have been done before. 

Bibliography:

Wikipedia. (2020) Vitruvian Man. At: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man (Accessed 02/08/2020). 

The Art Crime Archive. (2013) Leonardo da Vinci and Dissection. At: https://www.artcrimearchive.net/post/2013/04/24/leonardo-da-vinci-and-dissection (Accessed 02/08/2020).

The culture show. (2013) Leornardo Da Vinci The Anatomist: BBC Culture. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/n3csvj8j (Accessed 02/08/2020). 

Wikipedia. (2020) Gunther Von Hagens. At: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunther_von_Hagens (Accessed 02/08/2020). 

Jeffries S. (2002) The naked and the Dead. At: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/education/2002/mar/19/arts.highereducation (Accessed 02/08/2020). 

Gambarotto T. (2018) Terminally ill ‘Dr Death’ Gunther von Hagens wants his corpse displayed in exhibition of dissected human bodies. At: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gunther-von-hagens-human-body-corpse-worlds-exhibition-london-corpse-display-a8570581.html%3famp (Accessed 02/08/2020). 

Badiee B. (2006) The Art (or not) of Gunther von Hagens. At: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313846700_The_Art_or_not_of_Gunther_von_Hagens (Accessed 2/08/2020).