Ars Anatomica Analysis

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art has the prints of Leonard Baskin donated by Lothar J. Uhl, titled, Ars Anatomica: A medical Fantacy. These prints stood out to me because of the unique style of art, the historical background and the different interpretations one could take from the prints. Leonard Baskin (1922-2000) was known for many different styles of art. The Ars Anatomica collection is prints that Leo did of the human anatomy. They are usually presented in the form of a book, but in the Leepa museum they are all hung together so you can see them as a collection. Baskin uses dark lines to shade and depict the human anatomy. In the two works that I am using, the prints show the images of the human anatomy in an honest form. The first print …show more content…
The first print of the human face may come off as if it has been there for a period of time. I think this could represent the human body as a whole, saying that we only have so much time in the human body. Maybe this could also be a reference to the physicians that he looked up to saying that studying the human body is encouraged or even a right of being human. The second print is the legs bound at the ankles. The way that Leo drew the anatomy of the legs seems like he sketched the inside anatomy, (bone, tendons, and muscles) and then used a line shading to make an aura of where the skin would be. The fact that the legs are bound at the ankles could be taken many ways. I think that he is trying to say that the human body is a prison or a trap to the reality of the soul. This could also be a depiction of how the physicians would hold up the legs of the dead that they were examining. This collection exposes the human body and makes the viewer think about the complexity of the anatomy. Another point that could be taken into consideration in the second print is that back in the 16th, 17th, and 18th century religion was holding back the education of physicians in human science. I could imagine the rope as a cross, representing the restraint of the church in …show more content…
I felt as though I was being reminded of death or reminded of sickness. They forced me to think about the inside of myself physically and mentally. I found this style of art to be unique, something that I have never viewed before. The historical context behind the collection was interesting because of the religious beginnings and how science was being held back. Lastly one could take away many different interpretations from the two prints that I have chosen. My point of view is that the human body is a vessel for the mind and that the anatomy should be studied because the science cannot be ignored. Anatomy is so complex and hard to understand but Leonard’s depiction helps one to understand the