FLEX Student Labels

FLEX

FLEX Student Labels Anatomy and Kinesiology for Dancers Spring 2020 This booklet contains a selection of labels written by the students in Sarah DiPasquale’s Spring 2020 class Anatomy and Kinesiology for Dancers. The students were asked to choose an artwork from the FLEX exhibition and to analyze it in terms of what muscles were visible in the figure and how the body was positioned to highlight those muscles.

Michael Stokes (born Berkeley, CA, 1963, lives and works in Los Angeles)

Sergeant Taylor Urruela, 2014 –2015 Photograph Courtesy of the artist After viewing Michael Stokes’s photograph of army veteran Sergeant Taylor Urruela, I was captivated by the emphasis of specific muscles and anatomical features within the positioning of the body extended across three pedestals. Urruela sits in an extended position in the sagittal plane with spinal rotation to the right and cervical spine rotation to the left within the transverse plane. Regardless of the extended position, Urruela maintains a neutral spine and pelvis alignment and supports himself on the pedestals with right shoulder extension and hip, knee, and right elbow flexion. There is a clear asymmetry of the lower extremities as a transtibial amputation of the right lower leg has occurred, removing the foot, ankle joint, and distal tibia and fibula. Moving superiorly to the thigh, the right vastus lateralis is extremely pronounced and, along with atrophy and scarring of the surrounding musculature, could be the result of traumatic injury and amputation.

In the right shoulder joint, the trapezius, humeral head, and deltoid are accentuated. The most superior protuberance located just below the posterior side of the neck is the trapezius muscle, which is contracting to support the right shoulder extension. Moving down, the more anterior protuberance is the head of the humerus bone jutting outward secondary to the weight-bearing shoulder extension.

Lastly, the protuberance posterior to the humeral head is the deltoid muscle. Due to the hypertrophy of the deltoid muscle, it is very noticeable in this position. The positioning of the right shoulder and elbow joints is fascinating, and the trapezius, humeral head, and deltoid would not typically appear this prominent in the average person.

—Madelyn Barti ‘22

Andres Serrano Lesa Lewis, 1998 Cibachrome print Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris and Brussels When initially looking at the portrait of Lesa Lewis, by Andres Serrano, my eye is drawn to Lewis’s pectorals. The amount of definition in the pectorals almost seems to separate pectoralis major and minor.

From there, the eye is drawn to her arm. She has it placed on her hip in slight shoulder abduction, elbow flexion, and wrist extension.

The muscles of her arm, the deltoid, located on the superior aspect of her shoulder, the bicep, located on the anterior aspect of her humerus, and the tricep, located in the posterior aspect of her humerus, protrude in flexion. Additionally, the slight internal rotation of her arm enhances her already large trapezius muscles, located on the posterior side of her scapulae. In comparison to her arms, the definition in her torso is lesser.

We are still able to clearly see her very prominent lattissimus dorsi, located on her posterior-latereal side of the body. She appears to be inflating her chest to enhance her figure, but we can still clearly see both her defined abdominal muscles. Her anterior pelvic tilt and slight thoracic extension also contribute to her figure-enhancing position.

—Molly Boyce ‘20

Boxer at Rest Greek, late 4th–2nd century BCE Plaster cast from the bronze original with copper inlays in the National Roman Museum, Rome; The Slater Memorial Museum, Norwich, CT

Boxer at Rest is a copy of a famous Ancient Greek bronze sculpture.

The artist wanted to show his knowledge of anatomy by rendering a highly idealized athlete. Depicting this model allows for easy recognition of the body’s muscles; however, the athletic body is not rendered in an active position. Rather, the artist chose to show the athlete in a seated position. This puts the focus on how the figure’s body is still engaged while seated, creating a more nuanced look at the athlete’s anatomy than an exemplar active pose would.

The seated boxer’s feet are both touching the ground, putting him in a closed kinetic chain. The figure’s right ankle joint is supinated, leaving the medial aspect of the right foot’s bottom exposed. Both elbows are flexed, internally rotated so the hands meet at the middle. The boxer’s hip joint is flexed, creating the seated position.

While seated, the figure’s stomach does not bulge out but tapers in toward the pelvis; this can be attributed to a strong transverse abdominis holding the stomach in, even when resting. The back of the sculpture has the most apparent and exaggerated musculature.

The figure’s latissimus dorsi bulge off of his side while not in use. The trapezius is well defined and activated, creating the hunch in the figure’s shoulders. The deltoids are both very large and the triceps brachii are well defined. Since the figure is a boxer, this is presumably from performing a repetitive punching motion.

—Gabriel Espaillat ‘21

The Diskobolos (Discus Thrower) Roman, copy of bronze Greek original by Myron (c. 460–450 BCE), 2nd century BCE Plaster cast from the marble Roman copy in the Vatican Museum, Rome; The Slater Memorial Museum, Norwich, CT The “coiled, twisted shape of the body” that Jeff Segrave mentions in his essay on this sculpture (see FLEX Faculty Essays) results from the discus thrower’s spinal rotation and the contraction of his left external oblique muscles and right internal oblique muscles, which allow his trunk to twist rightward. His pectoral and abdominal muscles are contracted while the contraction of his transverse abdominis is responsible for the deep contour of his stomach area.

The discus thrower’s shoulders are sloped forward, and his head is dropped forward, stretching his upper trapezius. The thrower has a posterior pelvic tilt that stabilizes his spine and compensates for its rotation. His hips are both flexed, as are his knees, and his left foot is plantarflexed into a pointed position. The left extensor hallucis longus, although not visible, is hard at work while extending the big toe and inverting the foot—actions that are very much visible and come at the height of his backswing. His right phalanges are flexed, i.e., his right toes are gripping the earth for greater traction. The protrusion of his gastrocnemius muscle, which runs from its two heads just above the knee to the heel, in his left leg indicates the strength of his body and the power of his movement. As the Roman poet Statius prompted us to be “remembering the thrower’s right hand,” I would encourage the anatomically inclined to consider the flexion of the thrower’s fingers around the discus, the stretch of his biceps brachii, the engagement of his triceps brachii, deltoid muscle (the rounded contour of his shoulder), and trapezius in order to swing the discus and create this pregnant moment of tension, rhythmos, and symmetria.

—Sal Juliano ’21

Bob Mizer Dennis Lavia, c. 1965 16 gelatin silver prints on board The Jack Shear Collection of Photography at the Tang Teaching Museum, 2017.41.281a The model assumes various poses in order to increase his perceived mass in the series of photographs. His entire physique seems to change with each position, with new muscles exposed depending on the contraction or the camera angle. Abduction of the shoulders in segment “BM” allows the model to accentuate the muscles in the upper extremity, especially the latissimus dorsi, which can also be found in various other positions where he abducts his shoulders.

Conversely, protraction of the shoulders and what appears to be a kyphotic posture in photographs “BQ” and “BP” facilitates contraction of the upper-trapezius muscles, the pectoral muscles, and the triceps to some extent. The position in photograph “BQ” features the adduction of the right arm against the rib cage, causing the bicep and tricep muscles to appear larger.

The photographer’s tactical use of shadows with the body creates an impressive contrast between major muscle groups. For example, the interplay of a posterior pelvic tilt, a slight internal rotation of the right hip with the flexed knee in photographs “BV” and “CV,” frames the quadricep’s vastus lateralis and the gluteus medius, spotlighting the oblique muscles. Additionally, the shadows around the right bicep in segment “BW” change its entire shape, causing a perceptively larger bulge of the muscle. In the same photograph, a similar effect happens in the quadriceps, highlighting the distinction between the vastus medialis and the vastus lateralis. In “BU” and “BV,” it is obvious that the posterior pelvic tilt makes the model appear taller and leaner. The anterior pelvic tilt (“BS”) also creates this effect, further slimming the waist. Overall, this photo shoot is very effective in exhibiting the bodybuilder and the muscles that can be viewed from an anterior perspective of the body.

—Jaden Nemetz ’22

Bruce Bellas (Bruce of Los Angeles Studios) Model, c. 1950–1959 Gelatin silver print Collection of John Sonsini and Gabriel Barajas At first glance of Bruce Bellas’s Model, the extreme definition of the trapezius and latissimus dorsi, commonly known as the back muscles, caught my attention. The figure faces away from the viewer, accentuating the posterior muscles of his body. The abduction of the shoulders and flexion of the right elbow in the frontal plane indicate a sense of confidence, superiority, and dominance in the figure. The way the elbow is flexed highlights the hypertrophic triceps brachi. The extension of the left leg in the sagittal plane highlights the defined trio of hamstring muscles—biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. The posterior tilt of the pelvis draws the attention to the trunk and upper extremities of the figure. The large deltoid muscles on the shoulders are prominent as are various small muscles on the posterior side of the figure. Many of the muscles in this picture are hypertrophic, large, and very clearly defined, but it is the trapezius and latissimus dorsi that bring the attention to the center of the body.

—Hannah Leffelholz ’20

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