Eadweard Muybridge, Heaving a 20-lb. rock, 1884/86
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This image by Eadweard Muybridge is featured in his collection dedicated to the study of human and animal movement.
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2020-11-22T20:41:04-08:00
This image by Eadweard Muybridge is featured in his collection dedicated to the study of human and animal movement. Muybridge often left his subjects nude while they executed specific tasks to both enhance the scientific understanding of their movement, as well as to be abrasive toward cultural norms. The photographs featured here were taken in quick succession while the subject threw a heavy rock. Each of the photographs in the sequence are numbered ordinally, allowing the viewers to follow along with the subject at each point of the movement. Muybridge utilized a gridded backdrop to allow for closer and more precise scientific examinations of the movements recorded, which helped play a large role in the maximized efficiency of human movement. The top two rows of photographs portray the subject performing the action from a side angle, where the viewer is able to clearly see that the subject creates a very wide base with his legs to utilize his lower muscle groups. This view also allows the viewer to recognize and quantify how much the subject moves forward while maximizing the power of the throw. The bottom row of photos captures the sequence of action from a rear view. The placement of the camera behind the subject allows the viewer to focus on muscle contraction, rather than overall movements. From this perspective, it is quite easy to see the subject’s utilization of specific muscle groups such as the triceps, latissimus dorsi, and the hamstrings. The subjects were left nude as to allow for easier recognition of these used muscle groups for scientific study, as well as for artistic purposes. Muybridge often did this in disregard of social norms surrounding sexuality and nudity. This photographic sequence exemplifies an age that relied on photography for scientific data and analysis ,and it sparked new ways to understand the motion of living beings.
