Cave to Canvas: van Heemskerck

Van Heemskerck, The Belvedere Torso, 1532

Yesterday, the Cave to Canvas tumblr chose Maerten van Heemskerck, a Dutch painter known for his depictions of the wonders of the world, as their artist of the day. Scanning through the work that they posted, a sketch of an old sculpture caught my eye. Artists often copied ancient figure work in order to better understand how the body works, especially inpast centuries, when live models were not as prevalent as today. I really enjoyed seeing both of these studies juxtaposed with finished works, especially those with multiple figures in them. Seeing the building blocks, the movement from study to finished work, demonstrates the importance of an in-depth study of the figure.

Also, tumblr art that I like but don't have the energy or inspiration to write about here, I'll post on my own tumblr. Check it out if you want an artsy fix.