The Torso is Primary

This series of figures shows the wedge block of the pelvis initiating the attachment of the legs. Notice how the cylindrical thigh form of the upper leg enters the pelvic mass well below its box-like front comer.

When we attach the legs to the sides of the pelvic wedge block, note the large, protruding secondary form, the centrally located lower belly (actually the mass of the small intestine), which is encased in the hollow of the pelvic basin. The figure to the left shows a schematized version of the bulging belly box mounted in the opening of the hip flanges. The center figure relates this belly bulge to the legs. Notice how the legs, entering the hips, tend to squeeze the base of the belly. Because of the apparent pressure, the belly rises high in the basin. The figure to the right emphasizes the high belly insert in an action figure: when the legs move, the wedge may spread to accommodate the change of position. The round protru sion, high in the sides of the legs, is the great trochanter, the bony eminence which lets us see the origin of the leg as it swivels, bound yet free, in the socket of the hip.

Let us review the structure rhythms of the leg. In the small, erect figure to the left, the front leg is characterized by a B-shape. The side leg (in a raised bend position) has an S-curve line. (Both rhythms are shown in the dotted lines.) The large, center figure faces left with both legs in a side view position which are expressed with Scurve notation lines. The two figures to the right show how the side view leg is easily interpreted in both front and back positions. The upper figure presents a front view leg in a deep bend, which is described with a B-shape curve. In this case, notice that the upper leg is shown with the section of the B-shape as the knee bends back.