Giorgio Vasari

To be an artist in the renaissance period 1500 -1510 was for many people the same as being an anatomist in the 21st century. The two would study and learn together in universities. For artist and anatomist alike it was fundamental to have accurate imagery of the human anatomy, being able to understand and develop a better knowledge from combining medical and artistic vision.

Giorgio Vasari was an artist who lived in Florentine and was a sculptor, painter and print maker. He was the first artist to skin the human body in the name of art. He wanted to investigate the muscular body and understand the nude human body. He was working on the piece called The Battle of Naked Men, which was a highly influential engraving of naked muscular men. See figure 2. (below)

Giorgio Vasari 1500 -1510. The Battle of Naked Men, Engraving.

For a forensic artist it is to be able to do accurate and precise representations of a person. Within this field are such skills as composite drawing, crime scene sketching, image modification and image identification, courtroom drawings, and demonstrative evidence, post-mortem and facial approximation aids. Forensic artists have demonstrated that their work is made purely for the purpose of evidence, not art; because it is presented to law enforcement or legal proceedings. This shows that once the context has changed so does their work.

This links back too da vinci with his work was for academic study then later in his life placed in museums and art galleries.