Anatomy and Physiology: Art and Anatomy

Joseph Nollekens' Minerva.  (This picture was taken from: http://www.all-art.org/Architecture/21-2.htm.)

Ancient Greece and Rome:  The art pieces from the time during ancient Greece and Rome looked perfect.  An example is the sculpture Minerva by Joseph Nollekens.  The body is portrayed in perfection; the people were beautiful, and the features of the face were beautiful.  The ancient Greeks were obsessed with perfection and this was reflected in their art, especially the paintings and sculptures of the gods and goddesses that they worshipped.

Realist painter Jean-Francois Millet's Man with a Hoe.  (This picture was taken from: http://www.paintinghere.com/painting/Man_with_a_hoe_6237.html.)

Realism: During the realist era, there was a spur in the advancement of science and the people portrayed in the art pieces became more realistic.  For example, the painting Man with a Hoe by Jean-Francois Millet, the man who is working outside looks like an actual person.  The study of anatomy allowed the artist to produce a more realistic painting with a better knowledge of the human body.  When drawing people, muscles became more defined and the proportions of the body became more correct.