The skin has a special place in pictorial representations from antiquity to the Renaissance. It is a visible organ that is painted and represented according to different styles and techniques available to artists. This pictorial skin, centuries later, will provide valuable information on the lifestyle, skin care and dermatoses of the contemporaries of the time of the paintings studied.

We have studied the relationship between skin and pictorial art from several aspects. To answer the following questions, we have carried out a bibliographical approach and we have exemplified each item by a selection of paintings from the main international Fine Arts museums.

The dermatological iconodiagnosis is carried out according to the human graphic representations of the different historical periods where the skin defects were strictly reproduced and allow today to make an a posteriori diagnosis of dermatoses. The analysis of pictorial representations of life scenes provides information on the skin care used according to the periods and cultures: hygiene habits, cosmetic care and products used. The art of cosmetics is an ancestral practice, dating back at least 10,000 years, closely linked to the history of civilizations, to the desire to maintain one's skin, to adorn it, to beautify it or to heal it. Thus, the skin that can be read on Greek vases, Roman bas-reliefs, medieval illuminations or even Renaissance paintings, is as much a witness to past civilizations as it is the cartography of an individual's life, which has left traces on the skin. Over time and the vagaries of life, the skin is filled with signs and becomes a living archive of the past.

All this information allows us to apprehend the skin under the prism of anthropology. Finally, today, visual literacy, a discipline based on the idea that a work of art can be “read” is taught to dermatologists and has demonstrated its interest in optimizing the visual acuity and ekphrasis of dermatologists in the service of their dermatological diagnosis. Art, skin and dermatology are thus interrelated and these three elements are encompassed more generally in the medical humanities.