Left and Right in Leonardo's Drawings of Faces

Abstract

Previous research has disclosed a relationship between the side of the face depicted by a painter and the nature of the person portrayed. For example, the left side of the face is more likely to be drawn if the sitter is female, while the right side is more likely to be drawn if the sitter is male. In an experiment that controlled for the side of the face being shown and its direction relative to the sitter, subjects were asked to rate eight of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings of faces on a representative sample of Semantic Differential dimensions. Drawings depicting the right side of the face were judged more Potent and Active than drawings depicting the left side of the face, independently of the direction of gaze relative to the subject. These findings were interpreted as suggesting that when Leonardo, and perhaps other artists as well, wanted to depict a strong, active profile, they tended to draw the right side of the face.