The artist most famously known for using dissection to draw the human body is Leonardo da Vinci. He conducted detailed dissections of human corpses—over 30 in his lifetime—to study anatomy directly, which greatly informed and elevated his art

. Leonardo began his anatomical studies with animal dissections but moved on to humans around 1489, producing highly accurate and detailed drawings of bones, muscles, organs, and the vascular system. His dissections allowed him to depict the human body not as an idealized form but as it truly is, based on direct observation

. His anatomical work was groundbreaking for the Renaissance, combining art and science. He developed innovative illustration techniques to show three- dimensional forms and movements of the body, and his drawings remain scientifically significant centuries later. Leonardo’s dissections were conducted under the patronage and in collaboration with anatomists, and his anatomical notebooks, though unpublished in his lifetime, have influenced both art and medical illustration

. In summary, Leonardo da Vinci is the key historical figure who used human dissection to inform and enhance his anatomical drawings of the human body.