An Artistic Study of Facial Characteristics

Have you ever wondered why you are able to tell what ethnic group a person belongs to simply by looking at their face?  For example, it is fairly easy to identify a person of Asian, Middle- Eastern, Northern European or Hispanic ancestry, but can we be more specific than that?

** Are there subtle differences that would allow you to distiguish between Koreans, Japanese, or the Chinese? ** Is there any characteristic that would differentiate an Iranian, an Iraqi, or a Turk from an Israeli, Egyptian, or Arab? ** What about the ethnic groups of Europe; wouldn't you expect an Italian and a Croat, living a kilometer apart, to look       similar to one another?  How much distance is needed before different traits become more apparent?

Obviously, different languages and clothing will usually reveal a person's nationality, but what if we focused solely on facial characteristics?

The purpose of this study is to characterize the facial structure of people from various ethnic groups around the world.  A typical portrait takes 10- 50 hours to complete; enough time to become familiar--almost intimately so--with that person's face.. Although it is unlikely that this study will reveal anything terribly profound, we hope to gain a new appreciation for those minor differences between cultural groups that allow us to know reasonably well what a person's ethnic heritage is.  Although ethnic mixing is nothing new to human society, the ease of travel and migration in recent centuries has increased the blending of these ethnic traits.  It is not inconceivable to imagine that in a few centuries, all of these features that were once unique, will have blended in the melting pot--yielding a homogeneous and bland population, bereft of cultural, racial and ethnic diversity.

Portrait of a Brazilian Boy (of Italian descent)

Portrait of an Indian Woman

Portrait of a Russian Woman 1

Portrait of a Chinese Woman 1

Portrait of an Okinawan Woman

Portrait of an English Woman

Portrait of a Mexican Woman 1

Portrait of a Polish Woman 1

Portrait of a Chinese Woman 2

Portrait of a Mexican Woman 2

Portrait of a Puerto Rican Woman

Portrait of a Japanese-American Woman

Portrait of a Brazilian Woman

Portrait of a Russian Woman 2

Portrait of a Mexican Woman 2

Portrait of a Polish Woman 2

Portrait of a French Woman