Anatomical Study, Face in Profile c. 18th century

Curator: This is "Anatomical Study, Face in Profile," a drawing by Pompeo Batoni, likely from the 18th century. It appears to be rendered in pencil or a similar dry medium. Editor: Oh, wow, it's like looking at the architectural blueprint of a face, all disassembled. Kind of unnerving but beautifully precise in its breakdown. The sanguine colour gives it a warm yet faintly haunting glow, don't you think? Curator: Indeed. Batoni employs the sanguine pencil to articulate distinct planes and structures. Note the repeated motifs—a single nose here, an ear there, and then the intricate dissection of the lower facial muscles, a study of the zygomaticus major and minor. It’s a methodical deconstruction. Editor: Right, and it also makes you appreciate the complex beauty hidden under the surface. Seeing those muscle strands so exposed…it’s as if Batoni isn’t just showing us *how* the face is built, but maybe hinting at the raw, visceral realities that shape our expressions, our being. A rather intense expression! Curator: That tension between representation and the raw materiality of the body is pivotal. The academic art tradition from which this springs valued precise observation and idealized form, yet, within the anatomical study, that ideal is temporarily suspended in favour of exposing the inner workings. It speaks to enlightenment-era scientific enquiry. Editor: Well, however much it reveals the academic context and method, it still lands on something deeply emotional. It suggests vulnerability and mortality with this detailed anatomy. All the little studies like pieces of a strange emotional puzzle, perhaps? Curator: It is this juxtaposition, this interplay between the scientific and the sensual, the representational and the material, that makes this Anatomical Study such a compelling demonstration. Batoni reminds us the artistic eye pierces surfaces and lays bare what is often unseen, unheard, and unacknowledged. Editor: Beautifully said. Makes me rethink what ‘portraiture’ really is and its power in art. Thanks for drawing all that out.