The publisher of anatomy books for artists, Anatomy for Sculptors, has recently developed a digital écorché: a free human anatomy reference tool. It includes several 3D models with anatomically realistic visual references that are simple to navigate and comprehend.
The models are color-coded and provide a variety of useful perspectives with block-outs, bony landmarks, and so on. It’s a fantastic resource, especially if you’re studying 3D modeling or animation!
What is an Écorché?
An écorché is a work of art in which the human body is represented without skin or fat to show muscles. écorché is a French term that means “skinned.”
The main model of the Anatomy for Sculptors reference tool is an écorché called L’écorché combattant created by Jacques-Eugène Caudron in the nineteenth century.
The skinned figure makes it possible to examine the organization and structure of muscles, veins, and joints. While there are few écorchés depicting animals, especially skinned horses, the vast majority of écorchés portray the human male figure.
Caudron’s L’écorché combattant, with its unusual position, is a valuable aid in anatomy studies for artists. Muscle flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, supination, pronation, and other movements can be seen in this écorché. The figure’s body is also in motion, with one side bowed and the other stretched.
This article tells the story of a plaster figurine of Caudron’s L’écorché combattant discovered by Anatomy for Sculptors in Riga’s Museum of the History of Medicine. You’ll also learn about the process of developing its digital model and observe the changes made to L’écorché combattant by its team.
Making the Digital Écorché
An écorché is a great study aid for artists, and Uldis Zarins, the author of the Anatomy for Sculptors book series, had often considered creating his own digital écorché model. The advantage of scanning and digitally reconstructing an écorché is that the model may subsequently be measured using modeling software. This enables for the identification and correction of anatomical errors in the original model.
There are already several fixed-up 3D models of écorchés for artists. Michael Defeo’s Eaton Houdon Écorché, a contemporary anatomical figure based on the famous L’Écorché, the 18th-century anatomy study by French neoclassical sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, is one example.
The keyword here is neoclassical – the sculpture adheres to rigid canons, and its form is heavily influenced by neoclassical aesthetic standards. Although Houdon’s écorché is well-known and used by artists all over the world, it is not the most informative écorché, owing to its static position and lack of variation in muscular tension.
L’écorché Combattant Features Flexed and Extended Muscles
Uldis discovered a small plaster cast of an écorché – L’écorché combattant by French sculptor Jacques-Eugène Caudron – in the Museum of the History of Medicine in Riga in early 2021. This écorché is distinguished by its distinct stance and high anatomical correctness. As a result, it is an excellent tool for painters studying anatomy.
Flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, supination, pronation, and so on are all present. The figure’s body is also in motion, with one side bowed and the other stretched. Uldis was encouraged by this unusual find to pursue his idea of constructing a digital 3D écorché.
The Anatomy for Sculptors team scanned the L’écorché combattant in collaboration with the Museum of the History of Medicine, providing a digital main mesh of the sculpture available for measuring, inspecting, and alteration. Now we’ll go over the modeling process and the alterations Anatomy for Sculptors made to the original model.
Corrections and Additions to the Model
Corrections and additions have been made to the écorché digital 3D model. Uldis analyzed the basic geometry of the L’écorché combattant after acquiring the freshly scanned mesh.
He examined the inner symmetry of the pelvis and thorax, as well as their alignment with the body’s central axis. Uldis accomplished this by embedding an anatomically realistic skeleton within the mesh.
This resulted in pelvic adjustments and positioning along bone landmarks such as ASIS and PSIS. Even though some changes were required, it was a nice surprise to find such excellent anatomical precision in a sculpture of such a small scale, given that all measurements were taken using a caliper at the time.
Another revelation was that the écorché’s proportions had been slightly altered to suit the composition. The thorax had been pushed closer to the pelvis than was necessary, and the left arm was slightly longer than the right arm.
After the fundamental geometry was established, it was time to detail the muscles. The initial objective was to determine whether the muscles still fit the changed basic geometric markers, move them, and then repair their borderlines.
PSIS and ASIS Pelvis Shifts
Pelvis PSIS and ASIS The Sartorius, Tensor fascia latae, and Rectus femoris muscles were all affected by the ASIS shift. PSIS correction necessitated alterations in the origins of the Latissimus dorsi and Gluteus maximus.
After completing the basic geometry and muscles, it was time to examine the output and compare it to real-life anatomical samples. The Anatomy for Sculptors team compared the 3D model’s anatomy to radiological data from CTs, CTAs, MRIs, and cadaver dissection photographs. This work just reaffirmed the accuracy of Caudron’s original écorché.
Added Head and Neck Muscles
Anatomy for Sculptors did, however, make certain changes to the digital Anatomy of the original figures. The absence of several head and neck muscles is perhaps the most noticeable in Caudron’s original. Anatomy for Sculptors expanded on them by including the LLSAN, Nasal and Glabellar Muscles, Buccinator, and Risorius.
Anatomy of the Eye and Surrounding Areas
Anatomy for Sculptors also replaced the eyeballs in the eye area and altered the corners of the eyes. The aesthetic tradition of the time mandated that the sculpture’s mouth remain open. The mouth has been closed to prevent having to depict the oral cavity (and, in Uldis’ opinion, to lessen creepiness).
Caudron also modeled his écorché without one ear to emphasize the relationship between the head and the neck. After nearly two centuries, they returned the poor man’s ear in the Anatomy for Sculptors version.
Iliotibial Tract Band
The model also includes connective tissue, most notably the Iliotibial tract and the Bicipital tendon. The feet have also gained some connective tissue, and the fingers and toes have become more complex.
Pelvic Floor Anatomy
The dominant art style of the period, Neoclassicism, attempted to eliminate or diminish any so-called “primitive subjects” from artworks, which included all body aspects associated to reproduction. In the case of L’écorché combattant, the penis in the sculpture is unreasonably small, and it was increased in the digital 3D model to make it more lifelike. The pelvic floor and the anus were also added to the model by Anatomy for Sculptors artists.
Color-coded Muscles for Clear Studies
The muscular system was then color-coded, including numerous tiny muscles that were not evident in the original sculpture. Anatomy for Sculptors has also created a separate detachable mesh for connective tissue in order to expand the flexibility of this 3D model when utilized in anatomy studies.