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Secondary sourceNewspaper article16 April 1927

Provinciale Noordbrabantsche Courant Article on Leonardo Caricatures

Huib Luns · 16 April 1927

A 1927 Dutch newspaper article discussing caricature drawings attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and other artists.

This 1927 article discusses caricature drawings attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, linking him to a long tradition of grotesque art.

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Pen-and-ink drawing of several grotesque caricature heads crowded together. On the left, a man with a cap and wide grin; in the center, an older man with a hooked nose and leafy hair; on the right, a profile with curly hair. A screaming or open-mouthed face appears above, and hatching fills the background.
Huib Luns, article on caricatures attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and others, Provinciale Noordbrabantsche Courant, 16 April 1927.

About this source

What it is

This is a page from the Provinciale Noordbrabantsche Courant, a Dutch newspaper, published on 16 April 1927. It discusses caricature drawings, including works attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, Hieronymus Bosch, and other artists such as Jacob Rebius. The accompanying image shows a pen-and-ink drawing of several grotesque caricature heads.

Why it matters

This article is a later commentary, written centuries after Leonardo's death, discussing his interest in caricature and grotesque drawing alongside other artists of different periods. It shows how Leonardo's artistic experiments continued to interest writers and the public long after his lifetime.

Look closer

  • What does the choice to group Leonardo with other caricature artists suggest about how his work was understood in 1927?
  • Why might grotesque or exaggerated faces have interested an artist like Leonardo?
  • What is missing from a newspaper article that a direct drawing by Leonardo might show instead?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Leonardo da Vinci on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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