Hi There,
The study of human anatomy with artist has always been an important foundation to any artist education on the complexity of the figure. It can be a struggle for artist to paint, and draw the figure. You can create all types of stylizations with painting. The main goal is to focus on getting better with each render. But to understand the meaning of the human figure takes more than drawing a nice Sixpack. It has to do with the meaning behind the painting. Paintings often hold more than what meets the eye.
The painting below was a request by a few fans that love the show Poldark. A poplar BBC show you can view on PBS in America. The character has wisdom and strength and isn't manipulated, by the antagonist of the film. To show this the directors made sure the actor is in top physical condition.
In my painting I try to paint the fatigue of the character by having him look down and off to the left. The sky in the background is red to suggest a storm is coming. It's a story of perseverance for the character and a lot of hardship is about to come his way. Not just physical, but mentally he is tested.
A strong human figure is to suggest power in movies. A healthy looking character with lean muscles is visually interesting, but it is the way it is filmed or painted that can bring meaning to an image.
For example lets look at the story of Abinadi. A character that is a Prophet and is trying to talk to the wicked king about telling his people to repent. But take a look at the painting. In the painting you can see the man is very strong. That could mean the artist gave him a visually strong body to show he is a strong man of God. Those small visual indications that the artist wants the viewer to understand on a subtle level.
To find out more about Abinadi check out his story here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abinadi
To check out Poldark the movies or book visit PBS.
To purchase a painting please visit http://julielukeartwork.deviantart.com/art/Polder-Cutting-the-grass-637094825
