The text introduces a method for learning to draw, highlighting drawing as essential in painting. It discusses portraying the human body's structure and muscle movements accurately to capture different actions. Emphasis is placed on the importance of understanding surfaces and visible forms to enhance artistic representation.
METHOD FOR LEARNING TO DRAW
CHAPTER ONE
On the Structure of the Human Body
Drawing is the soul of painting and the first knowledge that must be possessed by anyone who aims for this noble profession. It not only provides the external outline of all bodies but also expresses the difference in their surfaces and the visible appearances of the material they are composed of. By characterizing the diverse movements of the muscles, it displays more or less effort in each part of the human body, depending on the strong or weak actions one intends to represent.