CHAPTER THE TORSO Let’s talk gesture. Again Contrapposto: Opposing Positions When artists use the term “contrapposto,.” it chiefly references the tilt of the shoulders against the opposing tilt of the hips. This is due to a shift in balance so one leg becomes the dominant support, letting the other leg relax. That hip, then, falls a bit with the relaxation, and the opposing shoulder rises in response. The original idea of contrapposto was to bring a little asymmetry into the picture (or sculpture) to make the pose seem less formal—more natural. Kritios Boy is the first example in history we have of its use. Compare this to the kouros in chapter 3 (see page 53)—a subtle but powerful difference. In fact, you are looking at the most powerful idea in figurative artHere's a simple breakdown af the original “relaxed contranposto pose and more extreme possiblities As artists tend to do, they started playing with the pos- of the most famous examples, look at Laocodn (left) or sibilities. The “opposing positions” idea then became —_the tragically broken image of the Belvedere Torso from ‘ever more dramatic, including the torso twisting left chapter 1 (see page 31) to right and front to back. Suddenly, the figure could break the picture plane. Artworks now had the power to break into our space or draw us into theirs, To see two Or just look at anything Michelangelo ever created! CContrapposto can show up in nearly unlimited ways suo. 3HLFIGURE DRAWING FOR ARTISTS 142 Because ofthe naturel curve of the spine, even a stif pose such asthe kouros has a sort of contrapposte {20ing on. The straight font view gues us a chest where the top tits back into space, a stomach that is lat to the picture plane, and hips that tiltinto space at the bottom. As the ribs and hips balance over the supporting legs they tit forward and back in opposing positions. TWIST It is, of course, the wonder of the spine that allows for contrapposto in all its variations, The twist is the ribs. turning in a different direction from the hips. This plays fast and loose with our facing dimension and can be confusing to draw. Here's the trick: An S-curve isn’t always a twist, but a twist is always an S-curve. On the torso, you find it through the centerline. However, trying to draw the torso off an S-curve can make it look weird, Make sure the centerline for the ribs stays close to the actual center or crowds one side, The hips, then, face the other way. That gets you the S-curve you want. ‘The spine could look rubbery and You could still miss getting the Fibs facing in a diferent civection ( ‘Think abovt a rope or wringing aut a towel-the top goes one way. the bottom another but the whole structure stays a simple curved tube, ‘The sinouette may change very litle from a non-twistina torso toa twisting one So, craw ‘the basic structure and ad the centerline with ite distinctiveWe've talked about the torso as a beanbag conception Gee Fig. A), Let's add the drumstick tot, The drum- ¥ stick isa thin shape intruding into a thicker, more bul- bous one. You'll see it all over the body: neck into head, thumb into hand, and ribs and waist into hips. t's very simple and very useful As shown in Fig. B, making a fuller mass at the base gives, generally, a more feminine look. Play it way down and step it in before it reaches the pubic area, and it ee becomes masculine. Fig. A. Beanbags and drumsticks. We find these constructs throughout the Body, and they can make drawing the torso much easier Fig 8. At always the long axis ofthe stick part can be curved. Make sure that stomach goes way down into the hips. suo. aHLFIGURE DRAWING FOR ARTISTS INTERLOCKING The other advantage of the drumstick is it creates an interlocking connection. Consider the three ways structures come together (as shown in the illustration at right): 1. They touch end to end 2. They overlap. 3. They interlock, Two structures interlocking is the best kind of connec- tion. It’s like @ wrench locking onto a nut, or even better, a bolt in the nut. When one form intrudes and locks into another, it's good engineering—and anatomy is excel lent engineering. Bone meets bone at the joint. But muscle originates on ‘one bone and intrudes into the muscle mass covering the other. It makes for a good fit and even better lever- age. This happens all over the body. Find the interlocks. Use them whenever you can, The crumetick shows up even more often in the secondary forms and locks those forms together.“The latissimus dorsi muscle creates 2 V. ‘The lats cover more real estate than ary other muscleby far. THE V-SHAPED MUSCLE In fitness circles, it's called the “lats.” It looks like the hood of a cobra. Starting at the armpits, it cuts across and contours over the ribs, descending into the cable muscles of the lower back. This is one of the most vis ible interlocks on the body. Careful, though—when Grawn large they look very male. ‘The greatest thickness of the lats is from the mid- back up until the muscle reaches the armpits. Once it descends from the rib cage, it thins quickly and disap pears into the base of the spine. It can be highly visible most of the way down or hinted at only by a very slight widening into the armpits. ‘Making the lats visible Is a terrific way tote the arm gestures into the torso. However, you can see how it could quickly lean into comic ‘book heros, — osuor antFIGURE DRAWING FOR ARTISTS | actually sketched tho interlocking-stomach-into-hips dea back in chapter 6, but never explained it Here, i realized ‘more fully and ve added! 3 Secondary interlocks taking the Fibs into the abdomen. Can you fel is absolute connectedness? \when your arms if above your head or when you le down, your rib cage wants to expand and the simple {ube or ega shape changes lke so. THE FRONT OF THE RIB You can see how, in many of the rib constructions, the nipples track the corner where the front plane meets two corner planes. However, in the reclining female sketch above, the breast has slipped to the side and misses the mark ‘The point in choosing a structure is to find a solution that tracks the gestural path. As long as it is gener- ally characteristic of the human form, it wilf ring true. Remember, you aren't drawing a rib cage. You're draw- ing your idea of a rib cage. It might feel intimidating at first, but it’s actually liberating. If you let that be the motivation for the marks you make, it will set you free. To review, gesture can give us these wonderful rollercoaster rides thet viewers fee. but only subconsciously, Keep in mind these are several ‘estures struna togatherThe Hips The hips are the fulcrum of the body. They have the thickest muscles and the heaviest bones. The hips are the base for the articulating torso and the locomotive legs. The hips are the only structure on the body that is wider than it is long. Squareness seems appropriate for its foundational strength. On the other hand, roundness suggests its pivotal qualities. The biggest difference in the mate and female silhouette is seen often in the hips. ‘A male's hips move smoothly into the legs while the female's resembles more of a diamond shape. Several male hip structures The hips area pivot point for the upper and lower body Several female hip structuresFIGURE DRAWING FOR ARTISTS ‘The hips in reclining positions RECLINING To help visualize this, think of a foot. The heel presses against the ground. The ball of the foot and the toes press against the ground. And the arch lifts off between, ‘That is, essentially, what happens with the hips, rib cage, and waist. In the figure above, notice where con- tact is made with the ground | cut off the tube or egg shape to show the weight compressing, This is very important. You can add some roundness in the render- ing stage. You can also add a little contrapposto twist!Pulling It Together The torso has two major structures, three if you separate the waist. There are many variations (more than I've shown here), and, yet, they're all simple structures with symmetry around the centerline. As we've learned, secondary structures can be added, shadows can be added (we'll bring that back in chapter 11)—you can pack alll sorts of extra details into your sketches. Stay simple, though. Get the basics down. It's like practicing scales on the piano. The rest follows naturally. Various torso drawings in gouache andl pen and ink on scrapbook paper —= osuos auFIGURE DRAWING FOR ARTISTS OLD MASTER study Notice how Michelangelo took the idea of contrapposto to the limit and maybe beyond. Michelangelo added extra length in the waist (as he liked to sometimes do) to give credence and emphasis to that mighty rotation. Notice also how the legs are drawn a little small. Is that a problem? You decide, Should he have punched up the proportions or do the shorter legs keep the focus on that dynamic torso? It is quite all right to question the greats. That's how your vision becomes yours and not someone else's! \@ A Seated Mole Nude Twisting “round, ¢. 1505, Michelangelo Buonarrot (1475-1564). Pen fan ink with wash on paper British Museum, London’ Bridgeman Images. Look atthe simost impossible contrappose presented in Michelangelo's warrior figure ashe turns toward the action. These ideas we're working with aren’ jut craft ‘concapts, They can used to make emotionally powerful statements as Michelangelo has done here.GIVE IT A TRY: Exercise 1 Every day for a week do a basic breakdown of one of my sketchbook drawings or gouache studies. You want to learn to see past the crosshatches, the shadow shapes, the color gradation, and all the rest and find ‘ur two foundational ideas that hold it together: gesture and structure, GIVE IT A TRY: Exercise 2 Do. quick breakdown of one body part. Think how far you could get in a year by just committing five minutes aday. ‘Mastering your craft is ll about mileage, and there's no better way to gain mileage than by keaping & sketchbook None of the work has to be perfect Instead, just search for answers and have fur osuos ant