Every time an artist portrays a human subject, a decision has to be made about the posture of the figure. Will they be standing, sitting, or reclining? Smiling, screaming, or weeping?
Never before given such dedicated attention, Postures argues that the gestures portrayed in a work of art can reflect the mores of a particular period in history, the customs of a certain culture, or a fashion in artistic styles. Exploring these with masterful subtlety, celebrated artist and anthropologist Desmond Morris uncovers fascinating insights about changing social attitudes and conventions throughout history, finding surprising similarities and significant differences.
Morris’s vast selection of gestures, from the handshake to the glove-slap, are analyzed and grouped according to wider forms of communication—greetings, threats, insults, and more. All are illustrated with full color works, ranging from prehistoric masks and Greek statues to contemporary paintings and sculptures. Postures uniquely combines Morris’s expertise in both art and social science, shedding new light on even the most familiar paintings.
Reviews
Accessible and enjoyable… Most effective when it uses art to draw attention to power dynamics and how behaviors can give insight into social structures.
— Choice
Contributors
Desmond Morris
Author
Desmond Morris is a bestselling author, surrealist painter, and renowned zoologist. After completing his doctorate in zoology at Oxford University, he spent his early career alongside David Attenborough in the natural history unit of the BBC. He has written a number of books, including The Naked Ape, which ranks among the top 100 bestsellers of all time, with over twenty million copies sold. He is also the author of The Lives of the Surrealists, Postures: Body Language in Art, The British Surrealists, and 101 Surrealists.
