The reclining figure

The reclining figure. by Giulio Porta
Reclining figure's poses seems to express rest, relaxation, and stability. Unfortunately its anatomical realities are quite different, the reclining figure's poses are more about asymmetry, muscular imbalance, alertness and tension then what they may seem to be. To prove my point all you have to do is assume any reclining pose, for a length of time, and see how comfortable it is. Because the reclining pose is primarily about asymmetry, muscular imbalance, alertness, stress and tension, it should offer you plenty opportunities and challenges in creating new figurative compositions. As an artist you should look at the history of art as an innumerable series of examples that you can learn from. I don't mean just copying or imitating. These examples can inspire, motivate, teach, as well as place your work in an in a new historical context.
"Twin Sisters" by G. Porta	In my wood carving "Twins Sister" the role that the "reclining figure" has in that particular piece is evident.
Mayan Chac Mool	I'm not an historian, therefore don't expect me to deal with the history of the piece that I have collected for you in this page. I just would like discuss the potential that the reclining figure has in teaching you about human anatomy, figurative design and human expression.
River God.	If you goal is that of learning human anatomy to the point where you can begin articulating and posing the human figure correctly and effectively, ancient roman river gods are great example to follow.
Volturno (River God)	Because of asymmetry, muscular imbalance and tension, the portrayal of the reclining figure presents greater challenges than those presented by the standing figure.
	Forget about the beards and the horn of plenty. Think about these figures as anatomical models for the drawing or the sculpting of your figure. Think about them as a live models. Once you have acquired an image of them, he sensible thing to do is to draw on top of them, locating various skeletal components, such as back bone, rib cage, pelvis, collar bones, and draw arms and legs as those of a stick figure.
Michelangelo's Night Michelangelo's Day and Dawn Michelangelo's Dusk and Dawn	I couldn't resist adding some examples of the work of the great Michelangelo, a sculptor that adopted extensively ideas inherent to the themes proposed by the reclining figure. The complexity of the poses in Michelangelo's work is worth noting, it's a complexity that places his figure to the border of looking uncomfortable. The other is the choice he made in placing the figures on a curved incline. Try to lay on a surface of that kind for an extended period of time. A normal healthy person can easily walk for hours. But the same person couldn't comfortably hold any type of "reclining pose" for the same amount of time.
The reclining figure in painting. In painting, there are numerous examples dealing with the adoption of the "reclining figure" paradigm. I just picked a few outside their historical context, what you are going to do with them is what matters.
Tamara Lempika "Reclining nude"

The Henry Moore's evolution of the reclining figure
"West Wind" by Henry Moore.	The great British sculptor Henry Moore also adopted the themes presented by the "reclining figure". Henry More was at one point in his career influenced by cubism.
	After the second great war his work became gradually more abstract.
	I doubt that these images, from here on, will be useful to you. They are too abstract and very personal in nature. They show primarily Henry Moore's interest in the process of figurative abstraction.
	On the other hand, you may or may not be interested in undertaking the process of abstraction, learning more about traditional anatomy should be your primary concern. You don't want to see abstraction as a shortcut, or a process of simplification that has no foundation and no reason behind.