Magnificent Beards - Da Vinci Self-Portrait
7:00 AM |
| Self Portrait, Da Vinci, |
By HARPER TRUOG
Here is one of the greatest beards of the Renaissance. It makes Da Vinci look old, wise, and reminds me of Dumbledore. The beard is long and flowing and curly. It is the secret to his inventions. Not only is it big enough that he could store some of his inventions in it, but a beard like that must have special powers. He doesn’t really have any hair on the rest of his face/head, just the voluminous beard. He looks like and angry and tired Father Christmas. This is an iconic image of him as an older man with a long beard. A truly amazing beard to go with an amazing man.
Da Vinci is credited with creating plans and inventing an early helicopter, armored vehicle, solar power, a calculator, and the double hull for ships. Many of his inventions could not be built because they were so ahead of the time period. Da Vinci made great strides in engineering, math, and science. He linked art and science by studying the human body and proportions. His notebooks contain some of the most accurate body sketches of the Renaissance. He was left handed and used mirror writing in his sketchbook which can only be read when holding it in front of a mirror. Da Vinci’s paintings reflected his knowledge on human proportions and science. Few of his works have survived, but the ones that have become cultural icons.
This self portrait sketch is probably the most associated with Da Vinci than any other self portrait.This sketch gives us an idea of what he looked like and it is the image our brains go to when we think of his face. The beard is an essential part of Da Vinci’s iconic image.
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