Study the sculpture above. When do you think it was made? Maybe you guessed that it’s a work of modern art because of its clean, geometric shapes. But someone actually crafted this figure thousands of years ago. People have been representing the human figure in art since before recorded history. Over time, tastes have varied, the methods people use to make art have changed, and the ideas artists explore have differed a lot. The articles in this issue won’t introduce every artistic style in history, but they will give you a taste of how and why artists’ interpretations of the figure have varied wildly over time.

Study the sculpture above. When do you think this figure was made? Its clean geometric shapes look modern. But someone carved it many years ago. People have represented the human figure in art since prehistoric times. But the ways they do that have changed a lot over the years.

Many sculptures like the one above have been found on the Cyclades, a group of Greek islands. They were carved sometime between 2600 and 2500 B.C. No one can say for sure why they were carved, but most experts believe objects like this were made for religious or burial purposes.

Made by chipping and polishing a marble stone, these statues—most no more than 1 foot tall and 1 inch thick—were at first seen as crude or primitive when discovered in the late 1800s. But studying the proportions of the figures revealed the complex craft that went into making them. Now historians agree that prehistoric people probably used a grid system to create many similar forms.

The Cyclades are a group of islands in Greece. Thousands of sculptures like the one above have been found there. They were carved sometime between 2600 and 2500 B.C. Most experts believe they were religious objects.

Most of these statues are less than 1 foot tall and 1 inch thick. People made the figures by chipping away at marble stone. When the figures were discovered in the 1800s, they were seen as simple. But then historians studied their proportions, or the relationships between different parts of the sculpture. Today historians believe that prehistoric people may have used a grid system to create each form.

In the Middle Ages, approximately 500 to 1500 A.D., artists were using paint and brushes to create detailed portraits. But these paintings weren’t particularly realistic. At the time, artists were more interested in using details to convey a theme or story—usually related to religion—than in making realistic portraits.

Look closely at Madonna and Child of Santa Cecilia a Crevole, c. 1283-1284, above, by Italian artist Duccio (DOO-chee-oh). Have you ever seen hands like that in real life? Or a baby that looks like a miniature adult?

The figures might look strange to our eyes. But Duccio wasn’t aiming for perfect realism. Instead, he was exploring the relationship between a mother and child. The woman’s hand points toward the child, and the child reaches toward her face. These gestures—despite how unnatural they appear—show the emotional bond between the two figures.

The years between 500 and 1500 A.D. are known as the Middle Ages. Many artists at that time used paint and brushes to create detailed portraits. But these paintings weren’t very realistic. The artists were interested in using details to tell stories. They focused on religion and other themes.

The painting above is called Madonna and Child of Santa Cecilia a Crevole. The Italian artist Duccio (DOO-chee-oh) made this painting around 1283-1284.

The artist wasn’t trying to make the figures look perfectly realistic. The woman’s hand points toward the child, while the child reaches toward her face. These gestures show the emotional connection between the two figures.

In contrast, the colors, perspective, and proportions of the figures in Snap the Whip, 1872, above, by American painter Winslow Homer are highly realistic. The artist shows kids in motion, convincingly rendering each figure balanced in space through their gestures and shadows. It’s easy to imagine how it would feel to participate in this whirling, energetic game.

Homer began his career as an illustrator for news magazines. In that role, he sketched scenes from Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration as well as from the front lines of the Civil War. While covering the war, Homer strove to create objective images. Though his later fine art includes elements of Impressionism’s softness, he kept his realistic, objective eye. In Snap the Whip, the barefoot boys wear frayed and ripped clothing, suggesting poverty.

Look at Snap the Whip, above. American painter Winslow Homer made it in 1872. The colors and proportions of the figures in this painting are realistic. The painting looks three-dimensional. The artist uses gestures and shadows to show motion. Can you imagine being one of the kids? How would it feel to be part of this energetic game?

Homer began his career as an illustrator for news magazines. He sketched scenes from Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration and the Civil War. He made realistic drawings to help people understand what happened. You can see this in Snap the Whip and his later artworks.

Can you guess who painted the portrait above? The artist, Pablo Picasso, is one of history’s most famous painters. Throughout his career, he experimented with different artistic styles, disregarding artistic conventions and inventing new techniques. But how far can an artist push boundaries and still create an artwork that is recognizable as a figure?

In Picasso’s 1941 Woman With a Hat, the figure has eyes, a nose, and a mouth. But her face is elongated and twisted around a central axis. Her hands are clawlike, and her shoulders are angular. Yet it’s still clear that Picasso is representing a figure.

Compare Picasso’s painting with the Cycladic sculpture at the top of the page. Which do you think is more human? Why?

Pablo Picasso made the portrait above. Picasso experimented with different artistic styles throughout his career. He ignored the “rules” of traditional art and invented new techniques.

Picasso’s 1941 painting Woman With a Hat is shown above. The figure has eyes, a nose, and a mouth. But her face is elongated, or stretched. It’s twisted around a central axis. Her hands are clawlike, and her shoulders are pointy.

Compare Picasso’s painting with the Cycladic sculpture at the top of the page. Which do you think is more human?