Apprentices were required to create sketches of flayed human figures (écorchés).
Surface anatomy was made a fixed part of artists’ training soon after Leonardo’s death. Leonardo da Vinci immersed himself into the study of human anatomy – even performing illegal dissections. Thus, this intense interest in the figure led to investigations into how to make the most realistic depictions. Apologies if you are a little squeamish! The main subject of art in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance was the human figure. The act of studying skinless cadavers goes all the way back to Leonardo da Vinci.
