New Artistic Anatomy

This book is the first of its kind to offer a comprehensive description of the female form. Here, Richer focuses on the variations in the body that make each individual unique. Richer accurately analyzes the proportions of men and women. He discusses ways in which male and female bodies are similar, then highlights ways in which they are different. He talks about the role of the skeleton, the fat deposits, and the skin in creating the superficial form of the body, and he describes the features of the face.

Richer is already known as an authority on the structure of the human body. His Artistic Anatomy, which describes the male figure exclusively, has been in print since 1971 and is a canonical text in the field. Now, his text on the female figure is available to an English audience for the first time. Together, these two volumes give a thorough description of human forms for the purposes of the artist.

This book contains 122 marvellous illustrations drawn by Richer in black & white, a translator's preface, and index. It is an essential reference for figurative artists working in any art medium.

A monumental book on the structure and form of the female figure, written by the father of modern artistic anatomy, Dr. Paul Richer. Available for the first time in English translation. Includes 122 illustrations drawn by Dr. Richer in black & white, translator's preface, and index.
Dr. Paul Richer (1849-1933) was the leading French instructor of artistic anatomy at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1903-1922. He was also a practicing physician, author, sculptor whose works are found in the Musee d'Orsay.
Allana M. Benham is a practicing artist and specialist in artistic anatomy. She teaches at Atelier de Bresoles in Montreal.
"Dr. Paul Richer could be called the greatest artistic anatomist of all time. His book New Artistic Anatomy: Female Morphology, is happily now available in Allana M. Benham's English translation from the original French edition, written by Dr. Richer in 1920. This new edition presents Richer's brilliant and unique analyses of female form, illustrated with Richer's own line drawings and beautiful halftone drawings. Extensive information on the female form and the anatomical structures creating it, had been seriously lacking from the literature until Richer wrote this book. This definitive reference belongs in the library of every figurative artist." - Eliot Goldfinger "Bravo! An extremely overdue and universally 'wished-for' endeavor. Allana M. Benham's new and enlightened translation is a welcome addition to the anatomical lexicon, a true gift for the rest of us!" - Frank Porcu