therevelationpainting.com

HUMAN ANATOMY

Creating a massive painting from small sketches involves not only the correct anatomy calculations but also the ability to take those calculations and increase them substantially.  Measurements used were based in science and art and the human figure divisions and understanding them were and remain imperative.  In my search for perfectas, it was obvious that the foundation of individuals within the painting started simply with the foundation-the skeletal system.  Artist used to take cadavers apart in order to see the construction of the human body from the skin to the bones and it is easy to understand exactly why once the design process begins.

If the subject were created just by using scientific calculations for an average person, the character of the person would be lost.  In art the development of personality is what gives the painting or other art a meaning and connection with the audience.  Creating a human subject without character would create a void in conception.   Perspective is a major issue in a painting this size.  Often looking upward at the scene is very different from a head on approach.  At any given time, the canvases may require taking down and bringing the painting to eye-level.  Creating movement within the characters also changes visual proportion discrepancies through illusion, although they are most likely accurate proportions.

Anatomically, the human body for art purposes works well when separated into units such as the skull, the spine, the thoracic cavity (chest), spine, and so on creating a combined unit from its individual pieces.  Resources from which to study included medical, art, anatomy, photos, and forensic anthropology.  To calculate the basic size of bones related to height, I found simply that the humerus bone (upper-long arm bone) was approximately one and a half the length of the head on average.  The shorter bone of the forearm (the radius-thumb side) equals about one head length and the opposite side-ulna measures about 12” elbow to wrist.

There are various scales, grids and other measurement guides that can be used to calculate accuracy.  I found this simple formula a great help in determining the correct proportions.  This table was used with all scenes which contained the human form and was what helped me to change Scene I-Jesus and Joseph from a forward standing body to a side standing body.  The perspective achieved was astounding!

After researching the basic measurements of the human figure, it was important to look at the intricate details of each component for accuracy in not only size, but shape.  Even the skull has many differences as noted in the blog about races connected to The Four Horsemen scene.  Studying the suture marks on the skull, the angles of the forehead and teeth, eye sockets and occipital (back of the skull) were all very important.

Based on Forensic Anthropology's scientific calculations, the length of a man (or woman) can be measured by several bones for a relatively accurate overall height.  I used the length of the average Caucasoid male to calculate the total height and recertified by art anatomy standards.  With those two techniques applied, I have calculated the height of the white horses' rider to be 5'7" based on his position in the painting.  The calculations based on art anatomy are as follows:

Femur (the long bone of the thigh) is on average the length of 2 heads.  In this case, the riders' head was approximately 8" in length (top to bottom)= 16".  Then I used the scientific calculation used in Forensics:
Length of the femur (16" or 2 heads)X 1.88+32=5'7".

Now I am able to calculate the height of all riders not only based on their position and perspective, but also the base calculation of the white horses' rider!  Therefore, all measurements will be scientifically correct.  The face of the rider is designed around the general skull shape.  This is what lead me to discover the calculations required for accurate perspective in this massive design.  The bottom of the sketch exhibits the "general" layout of the horses' areas in this scene.  In the upper left the white horse was estimated by the size of the area it will occupy, then sketched loosely to get an idea of the head size, as noted by the numbers to the left 1-4 (which are feet then unmarked in inches-estimated).

The entire page length of this sketch was surprisingly 8", the exact size of the skull.  This gave me a raw look at the size of the head that is close to actual human size.  The white horse is the furthest back in the painting...he is receding.  By looking at the size of the black horses' space and that he is the closest to the viewer, he and his rider will be over 9' tall...IMAGINE!  I produced an error in the initial calculations.  I was under the impression that the scientific calculation made the length of the femur itself and calculated initially on that finding (in black), then I "saw the light" (in blue) and correctly calculated the length.  Through my research, ancient men used to be shorter in stature than they are now in modern times, so his total height is most likely correct for his time.

This rider may look familiar and he will be discussed in the blog about The White Horse.