The Anatomy Lesson

Giacomo Favretto · 1873
Oil on panel
Milan, Italy - Galleria d’Arte Moderna
LDA · XXXVI · MMXXV

Source
Book · La Pittura Veneta dell’Ottocento · Fratelli Fabbri Editori · 1967 · p. 59

Favretto depicts an academic anatomy demonstration inside a teaching studio, where a white plaster écorché figure occupies the centre of the composition. The model functions as an instructional aid, drawing attention to musculature and skeletal definition. The students gathered behind it form a shadowed cluster that contrasts with the illuminated statue, reinforcing the hierarchy of study in academic training: observation of antique and anatomical models precedes live figure work. The surrounding architecture situates the scene within the framework of classical pedagogy and the institutional transmission of artistic knowledge.

Reposting welcome; please credit Libreria d’Arte - Studio Soli.

Detail
Plaster écorché - an anatomical teaching model exposing musculature for precise study of form and movement
Cluster of students - seated in the darkened midground, reinforcing the instructional focus on the model rather than the observers
Isolated light on the statue - a didactic lighting strategy commonly used in studios to emphasise surface structure and cast shadow