Leonardo Da Vinci Research - The Master of Drawing

Book Ref: 'Leonardo Da Vinci - The Mechanics of Man', Martin Clayton, Ronald Philo, Royal Collection Enterprises LTD, 2010
Book Ref: 'Leonardo Da Vinci, Master Draftsman', Carmen Bambach, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003

Head of a Girl - Leonardo Da Vinci
Pencil Sketch - (1452-1519)
https://artamaze.wordpress.com/tag/leonardo-da-vinci/

Italian born artist, mathematician, inventor and writer Leonardo Da Vinci is to this day considered a master of the arts. In particular his drawings which are iconic in their use of fine detailing and soft shading that captures a sense of delicate realism within each piece. Between the years of 1452 and 1519 his work became a backbone within the reworking of the Renaissance movement and many regard his work as an embodiment of the mystery of the period, however this is not the case for Da Vinci was a highly religious and methodical being. His work is more a display of the beauty within accuracy, while paintings such as the 'Mona Lisa Smile' (1503-06) remain his most famous pieces of work it is in fact his anatomical drawings such as the Vitruvian Man (1490) and work into Renaissance Human Anatomy that truly exercises our understanding of how Da Vinci became to be known as The Master of Drawing.
This image to the right entitled 'Head of a Girl' is one of my favourite drawings by Leonardo mainly because of its ghostly essence caused by the unfinished shading around the neck and hair. However by doing this the key focus remains on the beauty of the face which represents a woman of typical renaissance beauty with large round eyes and a petite mouth.

Drawing of a Skull 1489
http://www.drawingsofleonardo.org/images/skull2.jpg

Da Vinci's exploration of anatomical studies is a key starting point when analysing the importance of drawing in relation to makeup design as an understanding of the human skull is a crucial factor. Leonardo's work alone features over 13,000 studies of the human anatomy developing through the genders, ages and layers within the human body. Even developing into an understanding of the female form within pregnancy. Within the cities of Milan, Florence and Rome he was given permission to dissect human bodies to develop his work and understanding, consequently his drawings featured groundbreaking discoveries into the metamorphosis of the human form throughout life, these drawings included endless detailing of the human skeleton and organs including one of the first ever recorded scientific drawings of a human foetus. However within regards to our study of makeup his most important drawing would be that of the human skull, which was one of the first detailed depictions of the human bone being divided up into a number of sectioned drawings. Leonardo's dedication to producing work true to the nature of the actual piece allows for his drawings to be used as accurate depictions of human bone structure, this accuracy is crucial within makeup design as the combination of shadow and bone structure within processes such as contouring allows makeup to completely redefine the features of the face.