A study of physiognomy

Wrinkled faces, contorted expressions, weak bone structure, and gaudy outdated headdresses are common features which are present in these strange sketches by da Vinci. These high Renaissance caricaturesque drawings are a far cry from the expected pristine beauty of da Vinci’s work that we have become accustomed to. Leonardo was captivated with the intensely ugly, he was rumoured to stalk the streets of his home in Italy searching for artistic inspiration for his unforgiving portraits of animalistically brutal faces. Across his career as an artist Leonardo made likely hundreds of grotesque busts which are shown across the world, captivating the attention of aesthete’s. The drawings are imperfect, quick sketches on small pieces of brown paper using brown pen ink, they depict various aged figures with colourful animated emotions and fantastical proportions. He often blurred the lines between gender and realism which gave his sketches a surrealist quality and made them highly visually dynamic. Arguably more attention grabbing than his characteristic highly idealised painting of beautiful youth with perfectly divine bodies.

To view these sketches research the titles: 'Grotesque Head of an Old Woman' 1489-1490, 'Five caricature heads' 1490, or 'Caricature of a Man with Bushy Hair' 1495.

Da Vinci likely did not work from models in these drawings, and instead used his imaginative creativity to form the fascinating dreamlike expressions and features of his figures. He uses quick angled lines to suggest depth and to emphasises the hollowed out sunken features of his characters. Da Vinci’s dynamic expression of cross-hatching and the interplay between shadow and light gives the sketches a sense of three-dimensionality. This impulsivity in his drawings is also different to his usual artistic style, at a first glance, these non-naturalistic, possibly even primitive drawings are such a far cry from the works we expect from a master such as da Vinci.

In his idealised painting of youthful sitters he displays an impressive degree of mathematic understanding. For example his works ‘The Last Supper’ and ‘The Annunciation’  display his distinct talent and understanding of linear perspective and dimension. He is able to capture an impressive degree of realism through the subtle shading and depth formed through his expert use of tempera and oil paint. Leonardo is known for incorporating his academic interests such as; philosophy, mathematics, architecture, and science into his masterpieces. This is why these pieces stand out so starkly against the rest of his artistic repertoire. 

During Leonardo’s life time the concept of physiognomy was incredibly prevalent within society and was a theory which captivated da Vinci. This practice is a rejected form of pseudoscience due to it’s roots in racism and ageism and lack of indicative evidence. But it projects the idea that the facial features of an individual are indicative of their personality traits and can suggest an accurate assumption of character. It was championed by many ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Zopyrus. It’s title comes from the Greek word ‘physis’ translating to ‘nature’, and the word ‘gnomon’ meaning ‘judge’. Leonardo was captivated by this concept and utilised his artistic ability to bring this theory to life.