Page:Drawing for Beginners.djvu/172

 the second example the surface of the coin is receding and the coin appears to be thicker in the part nearest the spectator. It does not appear to be a perfect circle.

Every object or thing that advances toward the spectator is foreshortened. For instance, some one points a finger directly at the artist. What does the artist see? He sees the tip of the finger, the tip of the thumb, the width of bent fingers, knuckles, palm, and arm, but the planes or surfaces that recede&mdash;such as the shaft of the finger itself, the fore-



arm, and the upper arm&mdash;all these are seen in a foreshortened state.

Put up your own hand and clench your fingers, but with the thumb erect. Now lower the upper part of the thumb, inclining it away from your vision. Your thumb is now foreshortened, the upper part is receding.

The human figure, being a rounded object, must always present some parts foreshortened.

In the head, the width of the shoulder, the width of the hips, the smooth rounded limbs, the curves of foot and hand&mdash;nowhere do we find an absolutely flat surface.

If you wish to find the human figure depicted without any foreshortening, you must refer to the drawings and carvings of the ancient Egyptians. In Fig. 58 we have a copy from a carving produced about the year 1490 B.C. (For the laws of