412 
FLETCHER. 
form of the body with the superficial veins of the skin and 
the muscles immediately under it. It must also be under¬ 
stood to include certain external pathological conditions, 
for the leper and the demoniac, the lame and the blind, are 
frequently introduced in early Christian art and in the 
paintings of subsequent times. A better term than artistic 
anatomy, more comprehensive as implying form as well as 
structure, would be artistic morphology. 
It must not be supposed that artistic anatomy, or mor¬ 
phology, implies only the study of the dead body. The 
flaccid inexpressive muscles can teach little except their 
mechanical attachments and relations. It is function as 
well as structure—physiology as well as anatomy—which 
is of as much, or of more, importance to the artist. Some 
of the differences of opinion on the question at issue are 
doubtless due to the neglect of this distinction. Another 
vital point of artistic morphology is the study of the modi¬ 
fications which are seen in external form from the influence 
of sex, age, and race. Holman Hunt made a long sojourn 
in Judea before painting his famous picture of Christ among 
the Doctors. Nevertheless, in spite of his close observance, 
a young lady made this comment: “ It is very fine, but one 
can see that the painter was not acquainted w T ith the dis¬ 
tinctive character of the tribe of Judah; he has given to his 
doctors the flat feet of the tribe of Reuben, whereas the men 
of Judah had highly arched insteps.” 
Occupation, too, puts its distinctive mark upon the human 
figure, and certain joints or muscles become permanently 
enlarged or disfigured. 
It has been already said that the artist should know some¬ 
thing of pathology before attempting to paint the effect of 
disease. In like manner, he must learn how the muscles 
can assume a most pathetic expressiveness when death is 
imminent from a mortal injury. It has been objected to 
that exquisite statue, The Dying Gladiator, that the pose 
is somewhat theatrical—that the dying man should be prone 
or supine on the ground. Not at all—the two-edged Roman 
