The text discusses the challenges of accurately representing human muscles and movements in art. It emphasizes that while one may accurately draw muscles, understanding their function requires deeper knowledge. The text promises further explanations and examples later in the book to better understand the depiction and function of muscles.
Usefulness of Human Studies
Can all that is said indeed be seen in the life models, and as one draws academy-images, they seem to appear; and is that easy to follow? We answer; although all the muscles in life are placed so that even the least experienced can accurately follow them, this cannot provide an understanding of the changing movements and abilities of the muscles in their function; than an ignorant person in the art of singing, the music notes they saw in a songbook accurately copied, and meanwhile did not know with what tones and according to what cadence they should be expressed. Much less could they learn how these should be treated, to invent new pieces or tunes.
Many often chide themselves, and become sad and difficult over their own actions, not knowing what is wrong; especially seeing in certain postures that their depictions are completely unworkable but show themselves entirely inactive, sluggish, and not performing at all; in which still with much doubt, hardly any muscle have they forgotten that is not clearly indicated: indeed, they should know that the cause is nothing else than that they do not understand the function of all the muscles, which they have also not properly observed there, nor applied to the desired action. This deficiency will become more apparent when at the end of this book we will have indicated with various examples, which muscles, by name and place, must visibly perform their function in each specific action.
That from ancient times the Greatest Men, the most
Translation Notes:
The term "Menschkunde" is translated as "Human Studies," emphasizing the study of human posture and form during different actions.