what is artistic anatomy?

Question

i want to know the definition of artistic anatomy and why sculptors in particular study it.

Answer 1

In contrasts to medical students, the artists study only the superficial aspects of human body, for the sole purpose of making their art as realistic as possible. This is artistic anatomy and it doesn't deal with detailed study of internal organization of human body.

The artistic anatomy focuses more on superficial aspects of human body. For instance when artists learn to draw human neck, they will notice various prominences and depressions caused by various structures. Artistic anatomy goes only to the extent of names of these structures (which is not necessary) and their shapes and variations. The sole purpose will be to draw the neck as accurate and realistic as possible. You can imagine what type of detail would be needed for this purpose.

Sculptors need to be closer to reality more than other artists. This is because some detail can be hidden on paper but a minor mistake in a sculpture is disastrous. So sculptors need to know the exact thing. One other reason is that it is feasible to experiment with various forms on paper but it is very difficult to experiment with sculptures, as they are very difficult to make. So instead of learning by mistakes, it is more practical for them to learn by studying anatomy of human body.