Artistic Anatomy

Artistic Anatomy is widely acknowledged to be the greatest book of its kind since the Renaissance. The original French edition, now a rare collector's item, was published in 1889 and was probably used as a resource by Renoir, Braque, Degas, Bazille, and many others. The English-language edition, first published 35 years ago, brings together the nineteenth century's greatest teacher of artistic anatomy, Paul Richer, and the twentieth century's most renowned teacher of anatomy and figure drawing, Robert Beverly Hale, who translated and edited the book for the modern reader. Now Watson-Guptill is proud to reissue this dynamic classic with an anniversary sticker, sure to inspire drawing students well into our century.

Dr. Paul Richer (1849-1933), a distinguished artist and scientist, was a professor of creative anatomy at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and a member of the city’s Institute of Medicine.

Robern Beverly Hale (1901-1985), who ended his career as curator emeritus of American painting and sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, was an instructor of anatomy at the Art Students League for 40 years. His famous lectures, illustrated with life-size drawings that he created on the spot, have been compiled and edited by Terence Coyle and published in Master Class in Figure Drawing. Hale’s other books include Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters and Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters.