Artfully Constructed Faces In the News

First, of course, we must speak of King Tutankhamun, who will be in the headlines at least once per week until the upcoming Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs traveling extravaganza kicks off next month in Los Angeles. Using the recently taken high-resolution CT-scanner images of Tut's mummy, teams of forensic artists, physical anthropologists and assorted others have created 3-D busts of the young pharaoh. All of this can be seen on the National Geographic Channel, May 15th (which I am crediting as next week's Tut headline.)

Secondly, forensic scientists in Italy continue to busy themselves with skeletal remains of the world's greatest-ever art patrons, the Medici of Renaissance Florence. The Discovery Channel reports that, "Renaissance artists acted like plastic surgeons by changing the shape of noses, chins and jaws in their portraits." (This discovered after studying the actual Medici skulls and comparing them to artistic renditions of the skulls' possessors.) The article goes on to say what an invaluable tool this all is for Art Historians. And I say, "Sure." It likely is, if anyone is honestly *stunned* that Renaissance artists - or any other artist, for that matter - artificially enhanced their sitters' appearances. Oldest portraiture "trick" in the book, my friends. Think about it: Only a great fool is going to paint in that rich lady's unsightly chin mole with the hair growing out of it. A little creative straightening, shortening and/or lengthening of bone mass here or there is child's play in the game of Getting Commissions.