The artwork titled “Rear view of the female” is a woodcut created by the artist Albrecht Dürer in 1528. It belongs to the Northern Renaissance art movement and serves as a sketch and study piece, forming part of Dürer’s “Four Books of Human Proportion.” This piece exemplifies the detailed anatomical studies prevalent in Renaissance works and reflects the rigorous analysis of human form that characterizes Dürer’s series.
The woodcut depicts the back view of a standing female figure, presented in a posture that shows the spine’s curvature and the muscular and adipose tissue composition of the human body. The figure is drawn with precise lines that detail the anatomy of the back, buttocks, and legs. Alongside the figure, there are annotations and measurements intended to instruct about the proportions and structure of the body, indicative of Dürer’s methodical approach to human proportion. The text appears to be in an old form of German, acknowledging Dürer’s region of influence. This work serves as an educational tool and artistic study which reflects not only Dürer’s skill as an artist but also his intellectual exploration of human anatomy.
