The text discusses how historical masters in art were not free from certain flaws, particularly in depicting the anatomy of nudes. Emphasis is placed on the importance of understanding muscles and integrating this knowledge with aesthetics and life. It also highlights how the art world undergoes periods of change and emphasizes experimental work in pursuing truth.
Usefulness of Human Studies
Already adopted and fairly common in artistic vocabulary, we respond that apart from the amateurs, even some of the renowned masters of previous centuries were not entirely free from the mentioned flaw. At times, they created nudes where the muscles and tendons are not depicted with soft, accurate detail, nor with distinct fleshiness, lightness, relaxation, or complete tension and obedience to work together harmoniously. Instead, they might appear as lumps and chunks of hard rocks placed upon each other. Despite this, one should not stray too far from deep understanding of muscles, rather from developing, although they follow the right path, they may not have penetrated deeply enough, not integrating their fundamental knowledge sufficiently with the elegance and beauty of life. This could have been because some placed excessive emphasis on prominently displaying their understanding of human studies. Artistic endeavors also undergo periods of change over the centuries; particularly when in Italy, it fell and was sought only by diligent minds and clever intellects. Among this recovery, some could not maintain the simplest path of true life, straying from it. Similarly, in such times, many things were created as experiments, in which they sought and tested the truth of the matter.
Translation Notes
Misfatting: Could translate to "flaw" or "error."
Konstwoorden: Refers to "artistic vocabulary."
Menschkunde: Refers to "human studies" or "figure studies," avoiding "anthropology."