Siegfried Woldhek knows faces -- he's drawn more than 1,100 of them. Using sophisticated image analysis and his own skills as an artist, he's come up with a fascinating discovery about Leonardo Da Vinci.
Why you should listen to him:
The work of illustrator Siegfried Woldhek is a familiar sight in the European press. His witty pen and sharp eye for faces helps him capture political and literary figures in his home country, the Netherlands, and around the world (he estimates he's drawn 1,100 faces). He's also an accomplished illustrator of nature, and was the longtime CEO of the Dutch branch of the World Wildlife Fund.
Woldhek is the founder of nabuur.com, "the global neighbor network." On nabuur.com, villages in developing communities can connect with volunteers and resources online throughout the world -- sort of a Match.com that pairs communities with the people who'd like to get involved.
Blog Posts on TED
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Is this the face of Leonardo Da Vinci? Siegfried Woldhek's discovery, on TED.com – April 1, 2008
Unveiled at TED2008: We all know Leonardo Da Vinci's life and work -- but until now, we have not known what he looked like as a man. Illustrator and activist Siegfried Woldhek used some thoughtful image-analysis techniques to find what he believes is the true face of Leonardo. Announcing his discovery for the first time at last month's TED conference, he walks us through exactly how he did it. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 04:18.)
Watch Siegfried Woldhek's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Siegfried Woldhek on TED.com.
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Another look at the face of Leonardo da Vinci – November 2, 2008
Earlier this year at TED2008 in Monterey, California, the artist Siegfried Woldhek unveiled what he believes is the true face of Leonardo da Vinci -- through an elegant piece of artistic detective work. Now Woldhek has produced this drawing at left, imagining Leonardo as a young, a middle-aged and an old man, in three-quarter view and in profile, framing a glorious color portrait of Leonardo.
The piece is based on Woldhek's years of research into the life and appearance of Leonardo, as expressed in his own work -- and clearly benefits from Woldhek's gift for making faces come alive.
You can see a larger version of this drawing on Woldhek's website (and vote it up or down). Watch his TEDTalk below and see if you agree with his conclusions about the face of Leonardo da Vinci:
