Human Figure In Art Analysis

The three artworks created by the well-known artists; Michelangelo Buonarroti, Henri Matisse, and Cindy Sherman all convey different ideas and expression in their pieces. Each artist has used various materials and techniques to portray their figures in ways to represent their own emotions, ideas and values. The artworks David, Blue Nude (Icarus) and the Untitled Film Still, reveal the common use of the human figure to portray different artworks that carry strong and imperative messages to the viewers.

Cindy Sherman is well-known for her artwork in observing human activity and weaknesses. She is an American photographer that incorporates herself wearing various disguises and prosthetic parts in her images. Different from her usually colourful and disturbing productions, Cindy Sherman created a series of black and white pictures starting in 1977 called Untitled
Film Stills. David by Michelangelo took three years to complete, 1501-1504. This colossal 4.34 metre tall sculpture illustrates the hero in the story from the Old Testament, David and Goliath. His extremely detailed artwork relates back to the idea of perfection and the religious ethics valued in this time. French artist, Henri Matisse uses colour and form to convey emotional expression in his artworks. He was the leader of the Fauvist movement where he changed the concept of colour in modern art and focused on reflecting images of peace and idealised places, ignoring the oppressing world around him.

Creating a series of black and white film stills, Sherman uses Untitled Film Still No. 14 produced in 1979 to capture a portrait of a vulnerable, suburban housewife. In the image, Sherman stars as a stereotypical woman, using herself, props, furniture and sets to illustrate the low social class of women she portrayed in her series. Matisse, while using a distorted representation of a human figure, the Blue Nude made in 1952, captured his beliefs on the importance of intuition. He focused on the joy of art, expressing the form first and anatomy second using various intense colours and shapes. While Michelangelo on the other hand, portrayed his statue David as a muscular, divine man of youth representing the patriotic figure as a religious icon from the bible. He has based the piece on presenting the human form as detailed as possible and used marble to show the defined body creating an idealised figure.

The artists have each used different techniques of expressing their figures. Sherman has used the media, film photos to lead the viewers into a drama of exaggerated stereotypes and clichés foregrounding the dominant discourse of gender equality. Typically for Matisse to use his bold colour in paint, in his bedridden days Matisse created a new medium called drawing with scissors which involved cutting shapes from pre-painted paper to create various shapes and images. Michelangelo used carrara marble to design his famous artwork doing intricate detail on the body to create an emotional intensity that fore grounded religious values during this period.

Brought up in different eras, each artist has lived through some of the most significant political events and historical time periods the world has ever seen.
Sherman, Matisse and Michelangelo all portray their views to their time in different ways using their love of the human figure to represent their own values and beliefs during these time periods. Cindy Sherman used her artworks to reveal her strong beliefs on marginalised voices of women. She had a strong political view on the dominant discourse of gender discrimination and portrayed her views through many of her photographic images. Conversely, Henri Matisse while living through many different and important conflicts of his time struggled to find a reason to incorporate his expressions of political opinion in his work. He focused on combining his ideas of joy and intuition with dramatic and intense colour to create a poetic energy from his art. Michelangelo Buonarroti had strong beliefs like the others but not of political interest he focused on portraying religious ideas into his art as religion was greatly valued in his society during this
time.

The ideas behind each figure are driven by different emotions, beliefs and values of the artist. The wine glass and coat seen in Sherman’s untitled film still 14 create the idea of empowerment from a man in the household. Her back seen in the mirror implies she is vulnerable and exposed to the dangers around her, possibly the leading man in the house. Her face is worried and fearful creating an unsettling eeriness along with the black and white of the image. These techniques have allowed Cindy Sherman to portray her ideas on the vulnerable woman defenceless against men.

Matisse’s distorted figure is bold and captivating showing an immediate focus point in contrast with the background which is soft. The movement of the body figure is free and rhythmical with the red circle representing the heart, burning with fiery desire to be liberated. Not having an exact face but a blank canvas gives the impression that one and everyone desires to be free. The patriotic icon David is followed with such finer, complex detail with the figure representing superior power like that of Adam, the first human being from the bible. The beautifully portrayed hero is made in the image before David went to battle showing the strong concentration in his facial expression. Although from an unaware observer’s perspective of the statue, Michelangelo has in fact made the sculpture incredibly out of proportion. Having exceptionally long arms for his body, different length legs, and huge hands, Michelangelo has made it seem unnoticeable to the naked eye also concentrating on his much finer details takes away from the large faults.

All Henri Matisse, Cindy Sherman and Michelangelo Buonarroti have used different techniques of expressing their figures and their messages. They each convey different ideas behind the image but all use the human figure to represent their values in different ways. Blue Nude, Untitled Film Still no.14 and David by the well-known artists are portrayed using art to extend the artist’s messages across to the world. They have revolutionized the way modern art is perceived and will continue to inspire people to express their own opinions through art.

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