The Sardonic Smile by Chris Buzelli

Chris Buzelli recently completed a cover for The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association. The cover project was to illustrate "the sardonic smile" as a medical term.

From Chris's blog:
"I knew about the cynical/vengeful expression of a sardonic smile but I had no idea about it as a medical term. In medicine, it is defined as a smile-like facial expression induced by involuntary muscle spasms most often caused by toxins released by tetanus bacteria. However in folklore, the sardonic smile has a much more interesting past. It might have to do with the ingestion of the sardonion plant from Sardinia which cause muscle spasms, laughter and death. "

Chris Buzelli - sketches for "The Sardonic Smile"

Chris Buzelli - final illustration for "The Sardonic Smile"

View more of Chris Buzelli's illustrations