“Grotesque Head of an Old Woman,” recently acquired by the National Gallery of Art, is one of several studies by Leonardo exploring exaggerated facial expression.

The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, DC, is now the proud owner of Leonardo da Vinci’s 1489–1490 drawing “Grotesque Head of an Old Woman,” a work constituting both an impressive rendering of an imaginary individual and a possible 15th-century joke. The work was promised to the museum in 2017 by collector and patron Dian Woodner and has been included in three exhibitions at the NGA since 1995.

“Grotesque Head of an Old Woman” is one of several studies by Leonardo exploring exaggerated facial expression and character that he termed visi monstruosi, “monstrous faces.” According to the museum, the subject of this work is unique, born of the artist’s imagination, and exemplifies his pursuit of depicting “the astounding and the unusual.”

Η συνέχεια εδώ.