The Portrayal of Periocular Aging Changes in Renaissance Art: A Case Control Study to Compare Northern vs Southern Schools of Art

Abstract Background The 15th and 16th centuries in Europe were marked by a resurgence of focus on the arts and humanities and hearkened back to ancient cultures with new allusions and influences. This period was called the Renaissance, and while the Renaissance is often thought of as an Italian phenomenon, the entirety of Europe experienced a parallel shift marked by varying characteristics. In comparison, Italy’s and Northern Europe’s Renaissances differ in their approach to the newly burgeoning sense of representation in the art world. While the Italian Renaissance focused on idealized subject matter and subjects that veered away from classic religious concepts, the Northern Renaissance explored altarpieces and realistic daily portraits of everyday life. Objectives To ascertain which amongst Northern and European Schools of Renaissance Art had a more realistic depiction of facial ageing by employing scientific grading systems to objectively measure various periocular signs of ageing. Methods An age-matched case–control study was conducted at a tertiary eye care institute in collaboration with an art historian. 20 paintings of each school of art were studied and graded for dermatochalasis and tear trough - eyelid bag complex and two schools were compared. Results Dermatochalasis (p<0.001) and Bulging scores (p=0.039) showed higher values and therefore more realistic ageing changes in the Northern European renaissance paintings. Conclusions The Italian school of art had a more idealized and less realistic approach compared to Northern European school during the renaissance period which is realised by the scientific and more anatomically accurate periocular ageing changes noted in Northern Europe art.