Body and space
Learn how the human body is considered one of the artist’s most important subjects.
Our cross curricular resources make connections between art and other subjects, encourage new ways of thinking, and inspire art making. Send us feedback or propose a resource.
About this resource
Use art from our artists and collection to discover how artists and architects have worked with the body.
Using this resource
You can use this resource in class or at the RA. You can use the whole page or incorporate one or two sections into your existing teaching plans.
This resource uses art and architecture to consider the following aspects of the body and space:
Figure
Find out how artists have represented the human body.
Space
Learn how the body has been used to construct our architectural environment.
Measurement
Discover how the body has been used as a unit of measurement
Curriculum links
Alongside subjects like geography, english, mathematics, and science, art and design underpins all of our resources
• Working scientifically
• Taking accurate measurements and recording findings
• Describe the changes as humans develop to old age
• Taking measurements
• Draw 2D shapes and make 3D shapes using modelling materials
• Identify horizontal and vertical lines and pairs of perpendicular and parallel lines
• Participate in discussion and take turns talking and listening to what others say
• Articulate and justify answers, arguments, and opinions
• Maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations
The Human Figure
Artists learnt to draw and understand the human figure by drawing from a live model, a mannequin or a sculpture. Art schools like the RA, devoted the bulk of their teaching to the depiction of the human figure.
This practice took place in an art studio known as the Life Room. For a long time, Life Drawing—drawing the figure from a live model—was the most important exercise taught in art schools.
Where are their clothes?
From the earliest sculptures to contemporary painting, artists have long painted people without clothes. But why?
Rude ≠ nude
In the next section, and if you visit the RA, you will find paintings and sculptures that feature the naked body. It’s good to giggle in a gallery, but you might want to help your students understand that nude doesn’t always mean rude!
To showcase power and strength
Muscular men often feature in Greek sculptures, vases, and mosaics. The Greeks were not shy about the human body! They associated it with triumph, beauty, and strength.
For Anatomical accuracy
In the Renaissance, artists were very interested in anatomy and often were or worked with anatomists. Anatomy is a very old science and concerns the identification and description of the body. Artists, including Michelangelo, wanted the bodies in their works of art to be as lifelike as possible so they needed a good understanding of how the body worked. It’s easier to see how a knee bends or how a torso can twist without clothes!
To flex
Painting naked bodies was a way for artists to showcase their talents, skills, and their superior knowledge of the human body. In the 18th-century, artists studying at European art academies such as the Royal Academy learnt to draw and understand the human figure by drawing from a live model, a mannequin or a sculpture. They sometimes worked from from Classical sculpture and friezes.
To show what hasn’t been shown
Artists still show naked bodies today. The naked body can be a useful way to talk about gender, disability, and race. Eileen Cooper shows naked people in her work a lot! Women in her art don’t battle mythical creatures though, they usually stretch, dance, or dream.
Try this
Ask your students to write down their funny first impressions. After explaining that rude ≠ nude, ask them to write down what they think of the artwork now that they understand more about why the body is such an important part of art. Talk about what’s changed!
The Human Figure
Students sat around the figure and drew the model from all sides. Sometimes they made some drawings very quickly because the live model changed poses every few minutes. At other times, they made drawings over longer periods of time often using a sculpture, rather than a live model. Working from a sculpture meant that an artist could practise drawing the same figure from different angles and the figure wouldn’t move.
Learn together
Let’s see how:
• artists were taught to draw the human body
• the human body was posed and modelled
• the figure was idealised
Look together
• Can you describe the kind of man this is?
• Why do you think he has a hand behind his back?
• Would you like to have a body like that?
Body Building
This is a plaster cast of a celebrated marble sculpture from ancient Rome which was itself a copy from ancient Greece.
It represents the classical hero Hercules who was challenged to undertake 12 near-impossible tasks or labours. The first was to kill a lion whose skin you can see draped over his club.
Behind his back he is holding three golden apples which he stole from the goddess Hera’s garden. Notice how muscular this body is but also how his body shows opposite positions and movements.
Look together
• Do you think this is a real body?
• What similarities do you see in this figure and the ones you’ve looked at from ancient Greece and Rome?
• Imagine posing your figure for a work of art, would you hold your body as you do ordinarily?
Body Posing
Many of the bodies in pop culture and advertising today use the same poses and idealised bodies that were invented in antiquity.
This work is a montage of many of these.
Young Artists' Summer Show artist Martha describes making the work by choosing “segments of individual statues from around the world and piece them together to make one statue. I loved the idea of using Yoda’s (from Star Wars) head to contrast between fantasy and reality.”
Make it your own
Print images of different statues and portraits from the RA’s collection. Cut them up into different body parts. Then rearrange to create a new work of art!
Look together
• Can you balance in the same pose as this figure?
• Why do you think her clothes stuck to her body?
• Can you imagine what her head and arms would have looked like?
Body Twisting
This sculpture is an original marble from Greek antiquity. As elements of the figure are missing, scholars cannot identify who she might be but as her dress is wet she must have been a figure associated with the sea.
Like Hercules, she takes an asymmetrical or contrapposto pose: one leg is lifted moving forward, the other is still and anchored to the ground, one arm is moving forward the other back, her torso is facing left, her hips are facing right.
Visit the RA
This oval painting is one of four which decorate the ceiling of the RA’s entrance hall. It depicts the allegorical figure of Design. As opposed to a real person, this body represents the idea of ‘design’ a term that used to mean drawing.
She’s sitting in front of a cast of the Belvedere Torso in the RA’s teaching collection and is diligently copying the sculpture. This was a common exercise for artists in training but it was unusual for female artists to draw from male bodies. In fact, although the painter Angelica Kauffman was considered talented enough to be an RA and respected enough to be commissioned to make this painting, she would not have been able to progress from drawing from sculptures to drawing from the life model as it was deemed inappropriate for women.
Look together:
• What is this artist looking at?
• What materials is she using to make her picture?
Learn more
Child prodigy Angelica Kauffman went on to be a founder-member of the Royal Academy. Her paintings and drawings were widely reproduced and were particularly popular in England, often being used in interior decorations.
This is a full-size copy—a plaster cast—of an ancient Greek marble sculpture. This copy is about 200 years old and the original, in Rome, is about 2000 years old. Although it's damaged and has missing sections, the original sculpture was so celebrated that many casts like this were made.
The RA collected copies like this in the 18th and 19th centuries, as study objects for students. It is this cast that Angelica Kauffman used as the model for her painting Design. Some of the RA’s casts of famous sculptors had been sent by the Pope to the UK as gifts to the Prince Regent, later King George IV.
Look together
• Why do you think the head, arms and lower legs are missing?
• Can you imagine what it looks like from other angles – from the back, from above?
• How do you think the artist of the original would have posed the missing limbs?
Mythology trail
If you'd like to learn more about the stories behind some of the pieces in our collection, listen to Professor of Ancient Literature, Mary Beard, tell us the stories behind some of her favourite pieces.
Space and the body
Architecture, the built environment and furniture are all designed to accommodate the human body. In western Europe and especially in classical antiquity, the human body was thought to be an ideal form with divine properties and proportions.
Antiquity’s most celebrated architect Vitruvius (80-15BCE) used the measurements of an ideal male body to devise his standards for proportions in architecture. On a more practical level, the human body dictates the kinds of spaces needed for us to live and work in.
Even art galleries and the display of artworks are governed by the average height of a person. The standard gallery hanging height, places the midpoint of paintings at 150cm from the floor as that is the average eye level for a standing person.
Learn together
Let’s see how:
• architecture references the human body
• spaces and interiors are constructed to fit around the human figure
• the human bodies interact with space
Look together
• Can you recognise any patterns or forms in this artwork?
• What do you think this object is for?
• Have a look around your school building, are there any decorations you can find?
Making Space
This is a plaster cast of a medieval capital. From the Latin word for head - caput, the capital is the topmost section of a column. These are a little wider than the column to help support and stabilise the weight of the roof above it.
This capital is decorated with the face of a man surrounded with leaves and foliage. Some suggest that it represents a Green Man—a mythical figure symbolising re-birth and Spring
Make it your own
Create your own Green Man mask with leaves, twigs and recycled materials! Share what the mask might represent as a symbol for others.
Look together
• What is this an image of?
• Do you think these are old or new? How can you tell?
• Have a look around your school building, can you find any marks or features that have been altered by repeated use?
Changing Spaces
Spaces change over time. If you come to the RA, you’ll notice the steps between our two buildings have been worn down by all the people who have walked on them.
Buildings also change because when they were first built they weren’t built in an accessible way. The RA didn’t always have ramps outside, but these enable wheelchair users or parents with pushchairs to access the building.
In our exhibition spaces, you’ll notice clear perspex holders on the wall. These hold Large Print Guides that enable people with visual impairments to learn more about the exhibition. We also provide a Sensory Map that shows where are lighter, darker, louder and quieter spaces are. These enable visitors with autistic spectrum conditions, sensory processing difficulties, or neurodiversity to access our spaces.
Look together
• Where do you think this figure is?
• Does the space around the figure feel comfortable?
• Can you imagine a space that this doorway might lead to?
Being In Space
This work is entitled Doorway. The figure on the threshold could either be leaving this dark space or walking into it…
YASS artist Katy describes making this work: “The idea of the painting just popped into my head and I decided that to understand the emotion behind the figure I should paint it. It inspired me to be a bit happier about life and to be more optimistic because I didn't want to end up like the figure in the painting; to be a lost soul being guided out of the bleak present to the brighter future.”
Measuring the body
Artists didn't just go to school to draw from life, they learnt about the science of the human body too.
They learned about anatomy so that they could understand the skeleton and where different muscles are.
They also explored the way bodies move so that they could realistically draw action and movement.
Most importantly artists learned of the proportions and measurements of idealised bodies.
Learn together
Let’s see how:
• the human body was used as a unit of measurement
• artists understood the body in movement
• artists investigated what lay beneath the exterior of the human body
Look together
• What pose is the figure holding?
• What shapes is the human body drawn into?
• Can you think of other geometrical shapes your body could make?
Shape Up
The central image on this page is called Vitruvian Man. Leonardo da Vinci made this ideal figure of a man forming both a circle and a square by outstretching his arms and legs famous.
This image is an illustration that was published in a treatise on architecture in the early 17th century. It illustrates the belief that the human form could be used as an ideal set of measurements and ratios for architects to use in their buildings.
Make it your own
Find a big empty space for children to move in. Imitate the figure’s formation of a square and circle.
![Unknown, Écorché au bras tendu [Head and torso only]](https://cloudinary.royalacademy.org.uk/royal-academy/image/upload/c_fill,cs_tinysrgb,dn_72,f_auto,fl_progressive.keep_iptc,dpr_1.5,w_380,ar_6:4/kpdno5rubru9syakskli.jpeg "Unknown, Écorché au bras tendu [Head and torso only]")
Look together
• Do you think this is a portrait?
• What element is missing from this body and why?
• Do you think this sculpture is a work of art?
Beneath the Surface
This is a cast of a sculpture made by the celebrated 18th century French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon. Houdon specialised in making portraits of his contemporaries but made this sculpture to demonstrate his interest and knowledge of anatomy.
Here only the head and torso section of the full sculpture has been cast, but the original shows a standing male figure with an arm outstretched. The figure is depicted without skin in order to illustrate the different human muscles. Such depictions of skin-less human models is known as an écorché—the French word for flayed.
Look together
• Why is this picture made of so many photographs?
• Can you spot the differences and similarities between all the shots?
• Imagine making a flipbook of these images, what would happen?
In Motion
This photograph is part of a large body of images made by the photographer Eadweard Muybridge. He used many cameras set up on trip wires to take consecutive images of people and animals in movement.
Using the new technology of photography, Muybridge produced images that documented and explained motion in a way that had never visible before. By projecting these images in quick sequence, he was also able to experiment with early forms of motion pictures.
Visit the RA
Kira Freije made this sculpture by welding together steel rods and bars.
While it’s not a figurative work and does not depict a human body the work refers to a human figure and occupies the same amount of space as a body.
Kira Freije’s welded words refer to the body in a specific stance or an action and enables us to construct a surprisingly specific vision of a pose and bodily attitude.
Look together
• How tall and wide do you think this sculpture is?
• What materials do you think this sculpture is made of?
• Can you imagine replacing the text? How would that change the artwork?
Create
Measure, count, collage, edit, draw, and cast with these cross curricular classroom activities.
The Body as Ruler
Investigate how bodies were used as anthropometric units or measurements and use your own body as a ruler.
Anthropometric measurements or units are still used or referred to today, such as:
• foot - length from toe to heel
• inch - width of a thumb
• digit - length of a finger
• fathom - length of outstretched arms
• pace - full stride from heel to heel
What you need
Paper | Pencils | Tape Measure
The Body as Ruler
Body measurement
Working in pairs or small groups find and record body measurements, including:
• full height
• length of head
• length of foot
• length of outstretched arms
• palm of your hand
Record these carefully.
Proportions
Using these units, work out different proportions and ratios of your body, including
• how many heads make up your height?
• are you as tall as your outstretched arms?
• how many palms long is your desk?
Fill in the blanks
Many of the historical figure casts used as models were surviving fragments; the Belvedere Torso has many missing elements. Thinking about the kind of body this is, can you imagine what their head, arms and legs would have looked like? Can you complete the missing sections?
This exercise was something that famous sculptures and painters practised too. Michelangelo attempted to complete the Belvedere torso by using it as the central section in a figure painted on the wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
What you need
Magazines, printouts, postcards | Scissors | Glue | Belvedere Torso Printout
Steps
Use collage to create your own playfully completed version, as if playing a game of ‘consequences’. Think about:
• the different objects used to replicate the human body - like mannequins and dolls, can you use elements of these to complete the picture?
• the human body and what lies beneath the skin and muscles, could you add the skeleton of the missing limbs?
This activity could also be done digitally using image editing software.
Front Back and Sides
Casts of celebrated sculptures such as Farnese Hercules and Belvedere Torso (see above) were used as teaching tools so that artists could learn to draw the human figure without needing a live model. Drawing sculptures or casts of sculptures also taught artists to look at and understand three-dimensional shapes.
What you need
Spinning Cake Stand | Small Figure or Object | Pencil | Strip of paper
Steps
You don't need a big sculpture, you can draw any object you like:
• select a three-dimensional object you would like to draw
• elevate your object and ensure you can see it from all sides—you might like to use a cake stand
• to ensure you select different viewpoints, mark the edge of the cake stand in even sections using a little bit of coloured tape
• alternatively, place your object on a surface and arrange your desks in a circle around the object
• use a sheet of paper folded or divided into sections and draw the object from multiple angles!
Here it is Again!
While today there are many ways of making copies of objects — including using virtual reality, 3D digital mapping and 3D printing, copies of objects were historically made by making a mould and casting a copy using plaster.
What you need
Plasticine | Plastic container | Small object to cast | Plaster of Paris | Spoon | Mixing bowl
Steps
To make a simple mould and cast an object:
• press a lump of plasticine into a plastic container—you can use a plastic lid or food container from the recycling bin.
• select an object you would like to duplicate—a small plastic figurine, sea shell or small toy would work well
• press the object into the plasticine and remove carefully so that you do not disturb the imprint—you can always have a few goes by remoulding the plasticine!
• mix a little plaster of Paris with water following the manufacturer’s instructions
• using a spoon, fill the mould with the mixture—you may want to give the mould a gentle shake to make sure the plaster settles into every groove
• wait for the plaster to dry and then carefully remove the plasticine to reveal a cast of your object!
Image gallery
Anatomical drawing of the bones of the lower arm, 31 May 1805
Spatial Diagram - 2, 1988-90
The Antique School at New Somerset House, ca. 1780
Students drawing from life in the Royal Academy Schools 1953., March 1953
Fantastical Realism, 2022
This piece was an assignment I had to do at school. You had to choose segments of individual statues from around the world and piece them together to make one statue. I loved the idea of using Yoda’s (from Star Wars) head to contrast between fantasy and reality. I am not an artist and I don’t feel it is my strong point but I thought I’d submit just to see what could come out of it.
Draped Female Figure, ca. 375-350 BC
Design, 1778-80
Invention, 1778-80
Bewitched Groom, 1544/45
Medieval Capital with leaf foliage and faces, possibly representing the Green Man, c.1870
The Butler's Staircase connects the front hall of the RA to the Post Room and other offices
Doorway, 2022
The idea of the painting just popped into my head and I decided that to understand the emotion behind the figure I should paint it. It inspired me to be a bit happier about life and to be more optimistic because I didn't want to end up like the figure in the painting; to be a lost soul being guided out of the bleak present to the brighter future.
Science is Measurement, 1879
Plane and solid geometrical figures, with at the centre Vitruvius' figure of a man within a square and circle
![Unknown, Écorché au bras tendu [Head and torso only]](https://cloudinary.royalacademy.org.uk/royal-academy/image/upload/c_limit,cs_tinysrgb,dn_72,f_auto,fl_progressive.keep_iptc,w_480,h_480/kpdno5rubru9syakskli.jpeg "Unknown, Écorché au bras tendu [Head and torso only]")
Écorché au bras tendu [Head and torso only], 1767
Running at full speed, 1872-1885
Standing Woman Arms Folded, 2015
A sheet of anatomical studies of the back and leg, 9 December [probably 1805]
![Unknown, Écorché au bras tendu [Head and torso only]](https://cloudinary.royalacademy.org.uk/royal-academy/image/upload/c_limit,cs_tinysrgb,dn_72,f_auto,fl_progressive.keep_iptc,w_727,h_727/kpdno5rubru9syakskli.jpeg "Unknown, Écorché au bras tendu [Head and torso only]")
Credits
Produced by the Royal Academy’s Learning team in collaboration with Aliki Braine, Karly Allen, Leah Golding and Caroline Marcus Associates.