The Cage

Pictured here from Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Hale and Terene Coyle
Jacopo Pontormo's Studies, Red Chalk, 16 1/8" X 10 5/8"
Andrea Del Sarto's Study of St. John the Baptist for Baptism of the multitude, Red Chalk
Theodore Gericault Study for one of the figures on the raft of medusa, Charcoal, 11 1/2 X 8 1/8"
I have found the ribcage to be a valuable tool for mapping information. In class we were told that the spine and cage will have many variables but the sternum is always the same. I do not have the luxury of body recall in this instance because my sternum makes a few extra curves. Slightly after the manubrium, my chest expanded so much that it collapsed into itself. Learning the true gestural shape and behavior of the bones as they pour out of the spine has proven a good structure to build surface off of. The ribcage has proven to be crucial in understanding the human figure.