Anatomy in art, is the study of the anatomical structure of the human body; the skeleton and soft tissues. The understanding of what is happening beneath the skin (and why) has a profound effect on life drawing and is considered essential part of learning to draw well.

The great life drawing masters like Egon Schiele achieve powerful effects through understanding form and structure. In the case of Schiele, this evident knowledge is made more exciting where he selectively chooses to distort and exaggerate or be accurate in a creative dance between knowledge, observation and imagination. Before Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci and their dissections, the study of anatomy was considered a mortal sin, even for doctors except in the rarest of circumstances. Since that time it has been considered an important component of the artists training.

To study anatomy today artists draw from skeletons, both real and reproduction ones, they also draw from various plaster casts and refer to anatomy books and medical diagrams as well as life drawing classes. Some art schools also offer human anatomy study using real human bodies, those donated to medical schools for research.