Cantor Arts Center

Artists and Anatomists

After the sixteenth century, the processes by which European artists gained knowledge of human anatomy increasingly informed images ranging from the documentary to the fantastical. Instead of learning anatomy and proportion exclusively by copying old master works of art, artists sought new opportunities to understand the mechanics of the body. They studied directly from live models or occasionally from anatomical demonstrations held at academies and studios—or sought out medical men who worked with corpses.

Anatomists also hired draftsmen and printmakers to create official visual records of their research, an experience offering exceptional access and information. Whether created to represent a direct or imagined encounter, these representations of the body often reveal society’s conflicted feelings about anatomical study being research toward a greater good or a sacrilegious violation.

Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell, PhD. Burton and Deedee McMurtry Curator, and Director of the Curatorial Fellowship Program

Showing 1 to 11 of 11 Records

Title Page to "The Epitome (Of Human Corporal Anatomy) / Epitome, Von des Menschen Cörpers Anatomey"; verso: Portrait of Andreas Vesalius

Jan Steven van Calcar
Woodcut
16th C. the Netherlands
2012.591.a-b

The Vision of Ezekiel

Giorgio Ghisi
Engraving
16th C. Italy
L.15.352.2007

The Reward of Cruelty

William Hogarth
Etching with engraving
18th C. England
1989.126

Doctors Dissecting

Samuel Ireland
Etching
18th C. England
1986.23

"Human Figure" after Vesalius

Jacob Lawrence
Graphite on paper
20th C. U.S.A.
2013.101

The Practice of the Visual Arts

Cornelis Cort
Engraving
16th C. the Netherlands
L.15.234.2007

The Academy of Painters (Academia d'Pitori)

Pier Francesco Alberti
Etching
17th C. Italy
1975.4

To Youthful Students of Design

Nicolas Dorigny
Engraving
17th C. France
2007.3

Male Nude

Juan Conchillos Falcó
Charcoal with blue and white chalk on paper
17th C. Spain
1976.95

Image of Drawing, Legs and Feet. (Dessein, Jambes et Pieds.)

Drawing, Legs and Feet. (Dessein, Jambes et Pieds.)
from Drawing (Dessein)

Robert Bénard
Engraving
18th C. France Illustrated Book
1978.118.19

Stanford (Arnautoff Class)

Beth Van Hoesen
Graphite and ink on paper
2011.62

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Last updated: 04/22/2021

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced.

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