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I started drawing faces because I became a fan of an actor whose
character at the time I greatly admired. The character, Henry Fitzroy,
had wisdom, integrity, depth and old world charm. And the actor gave the
character justice, as was evident in his face as well as his acting,
time and time again. And he was of course, very good looking.
I then drew various faces, mostly of actors, to raise money for
charities. All were very handsome. At times I hit stumbling blocks-- for
a face is much more than a set of features. And I began to realize that
beauty is a tricky thing. If I was to draw an eye that was even a few
millimeters off, the look of the face completely changed, diminished
somehow. And at times, even with scientific precision, I had troubling
capturing the essence of the person I was drawing.
If one was to judge by Hollywood standards (at least for women) or the
Fashion Industry standard, one would be led to believe that there is a
formula for beauty. And yet, exceptions abound everyday. I can recall
the face of an Afghan child on the cover of a National Geographic
magazine.
So my question to you is: Just what is it about a face that makes it
beautiful? Is it a genetic formula or standard that if altered by even a
few millimeters, excludes a person from the category of beautiful? Is
it the eyes? Eye color? Or perhaps the smile? Or is it something that
really can't be categorized...Something conveyed in the eyes and
exhibited in the curve and lines of the expression? Are the eyes truly
the mirror of a person's soul? Or is beauty simply a fleeting thing, a
fantasy composed of the whims and fads of a certain era, subject to
change as the times change or as plastic surgery improves?... Think of
Reubens' or Botticelli's women as opposed to the models in Vogue.
What do you think?
character at the time I greatly admired. The character, Henry Fitzroy,
had wisdom, integrity, depth and old world charm. And the actor gave the
character justice, as was evident in his face as well as his acting,
time and time again. And he was of course, very good looking.
I then drew various faces, mostly of actors, to raise money for
charities. All were very handsome. At times I hit stumbling blocks-- for
a face is much more than a set of features. And I began to realize that
beauty is a tricky thing. If I was to draw an eye that was even a few
millimeters off, the look of the face completely changed, diminished
somehow. And at times, even with scientific precision, I had troubling
capturing the essence of the person I was drawing.
If one was to judge by Hollywood standards (at least for women) or the
Fashion Industry standard, one would be led to believe that there is a
formula for beauty. And yet, exceptions abound everyday. I can recall
the face of an Afghan child on the cover of a National Geographic
magazine.
So my question to you is: Just what is it about a face that makes it
beautiful? Is it a genetic formula or standard that if altered by even a
few millimeters, excludes a person from the category of beautiful? Is
it the eyes? Eye color? Or perhaps the smile? Or is it something that
really can't be categorized...Something conveyed in the eyes and
exhibited in the curve and lines of the expression? Are the eyes truly
the mirror of a person's soul? Or is beauty simply a fleeting thing, a
fantasy composed of the whims and fads of a certain era, subject to
change as the times change or as plastic surgery improves?... Think of
Reubens' or Botticelli's women as opposed to the models in Vogue.
What do you think?
