A lavishly illustrated compendium of the art and history of animal
anatomy from antiquity to today
For more than two thousand years, comparative anatomy--the study of
anatomical variation among different animal species--has been used to
make arguments in natural philosophy, reinforce religious dogma, and
remind us of our own mortality. This stunningly illustrated compendium
traces the intertwined intellectual and artistic histories of
comparative anatomy from antiquity to today.
Stripped Bare brings together some of the most arresting images ever
produced, from the earliest studies of animal form to the technicolor
art of computer-generated anatomies. David Bainbridge draws on
representative illustrations from different eras to discuss the
philosophical, scientific, and artistic milieus from which they emerged.
He vividly describes the unique aesthetics of each phase of anatomical
endeavor, providing new insights into the exquisite anatomical drawings
of Leonardo and Albrecht Dürer in the era before printing, Jean
Héroard's cutting and cataloging of the horse during the age of Louis
XIII, the exotic pictorial menageries of the Comte de Buffon in the
eighteenth century, anatomical illustrations from Charles Darwin's
voyages, the lavish symmetries of Ernst Haeckel's prints, and much, much
more.
Featuring a wealth of breathtaking color illustrations throughout,
Stripped Bare is a panoramic tour of the intricacies of vertebrate
life as well as an expansive history of the peculiar and beautiful ways
humans have attempted to study and understand the natural world.
