Eye candy Armitage, or: superficial Armitage anatomy
Servetus loves exact analysis. And I spent a crazy amount of time talking to a retinologist, an opthalmologist, an optometrist, and an eye surgeon in 2011, none of whom seemed capable of speaking to each other. That said, analysis is not everything.
I know it may seem superficial, but for instance, it’s almost a shame to take this:
Richard Armitage, from a DVD extra on the Spooks series 9 DVDs, which I have not watched yet. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com
and make it into this:
The same. With a few annotations.
Superficial in this sense doesn’t mean trivial — it means, occurring on the surface. I didn’t include any eye muscles in these diagrams because you can’t really see them. Interesting, however: I learned that the pronounced inferior palpebral sulcus here may make Mr. Armitage’s face look slightly more childlike, as a pronounced sulcus is unusual in adult faces.
And, of course, zeroing in, we have:
Richard Armitage’s left eye. Cropped from photo above.
The iris is an unbelievably complex structure, right down to the kinds of cells that make up its pigmentation. Did you know that the grey-blue pigmentation of the iris that allows the eyes to appear to change color depending on their surroundings is a relatively rare human phenotype? Incidentally, this is what pigmentation looks like, physically, in a photo taken from an electron microscope. The arrows point at the pigmentation granules in the surface of the iris:
But back to the topic:
Another crop of the photo above, showing Richard Armitage’s left eye.
To be noted:
- there are many more structures in the iris than can be seen in this picture; again, these are just the superficial ones.
- there’s an ongoing discussion in the fandom about the dilation of the pupils (mydriasis) as a sign of sexual arousal, with some fans claiming that Armitage can dilate his pupils at will in order to appear aroused. Pupil dilation during arousal is normally a function of the parasympathetic nervous system, so that it is involuntary. So I don’t think that he can dilate his pupils on purpose. However, two possibilities remain: one, I think unlikely, that he has somehow been conditioned to respond to a particular external stimulus with pupil dilation (this effect has been produced in certain animals). A second, more probable, that he produces in his own mind and body a condition of arousal (he thinks or acts himself into arousal for a scene in which his eyes will be filmed during lovemaking), which then, in turn, produces the parasympathetic reaction of the dilated pupil as an arousal signal. What do I think? That directors in these scenes light him in ways, intentionally or unintentionally, that cause pupil dilation. Most love scenes just don’t take place in broad daylight. I know that’s an awfully prosaic explanation. Sorry.
- stubble is not a part of the structures of the eye, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t forget it was there. I wouldn’t want to be … superficial.
“Armitage can dilate his pupils at will in order to appear aroused.” LOL – just tickled me! Love the stubble ref!!
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Mersguy said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:19 am |
It would be a real skill — if he actually had it. Up there with wiggling his ears.
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:38 am |
I always thought the prosaic explanation might be the right one, that it is caused by the light conditions. I noticed and thought about it long ago. Another explanation, which I hope is wrong, would be some kind of drug, either as eye drops or as a form of drug abuse.
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Jane said this on January 9, 2012 at 6:58 pm |
but you WILL analyze stubble, right? Eventually?
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NovemberBride said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:19 am |
anything for you, NB 🙂
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:39 am |
That photo makes me pause, take a deep breath and slo-o-wly exhale every time I see it. *thud*
Actually, one of my two favorite master’s level courses I took was Cecuitency of the Eye.(not sure about that spelling, sorry) Really, really fascinating stuff.
Richard’s limbic ring (that dark ring that encircles his iris) is also very pronounced and studies indicate the stronger the limbic ring, the more attractive the person is to the opposite sex. Works for me. 😀
My eyes change from blue to green to grey, but I have never seen them turn khaki-colored as his do in Strike Back. But then, he is so versatile in so, so many ways.
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:30 am |
Correction–“Limbal” not Limbic Ring. See, he’s got me all a-twitter.
Re the eye dilation thing, the one that threw me is not a love scene and not dimly light. It was when Guy tossed Robin off the cliff (hurrah! hurrah!) and this was in broad daylight. I think he must have psyched himself up as Mad Boozy Wildman Guy because those pupils sure look dilated in this close-ups.
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:37 am |
I think that scene was partially CGIed, don’t you?
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:38 am |
Oh, yeah, because–sadly–he didn’t REALLY throw him off a cliff. Oops–sorry, did I say that out loud? *slaps self*
But I have wondered about his eyes every since then. Was there FX trickery or did they actually turn black like that . . . anyway, however it happened, between his wolfish panting through an open mouth and those mad eyes, he was scary. And very sexy IMHO. And when he knelt down and howled like one of the coyotes in the back 40–whoooaaaaa.
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:47 am |
there’s a lot of discussion about what that ring is / does / means. Part of its appearance is due to the margin of the cornea, which attaches there, part of it is due to the contraction of the iris. There’s a pseudoscience, iridology, that claims that one can diagnose certain health conditions from the superficial appearance of the iris, and when that ring (which iridologists call the “scurf ring”) is pronounced, it’s supposed to point to fairly serious immune system issues / suppressed impurities in the body.
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:43 am |
uh oh!!! *runs worriedly from room* Next RA gift should be vitamins???!
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NovemberBride said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:47 am |
Nah, I don’t think we need to worry about his nutrition, at least not based on his eyes.
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:53 am |
I had someone who wanted to do an iridology assessment on me several years ago but I passed. There was a little too much pseudo in that science for moi.
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:50 am |
it’s amazing, the things you learn while blogging — turns out the superficial structures of the iris, with the exception of eye color, appear at birth and are strongly stable. There’s a whole science of personal identification based on the fact that iris scans are basically stable across an entire human life. Who knew.
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:53 am |
We’ve all seen those eye scans used in techno thrillers . . . so it’s like a fingerprint, except fingerprints can be obliterated and not damage use of the hands, but it would be hard to do that to an iris without destroying the eyes. Very interesting.
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 2:18 am |
I thought they were retinal scans. Turns out there are two different technologies — retinal and iris scans.
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 2:19 am |
Cool. Then, of course, there are ears . . . very distinctive (in particular a certain actor’s elvish ones) . . . I always thought phrenology was interesting, although it had no scientific basis.
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 2:27 am |
I am not feeling up his skull for the blog.
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 2:28 am |
ROTLMAO!
I do think it would be fun to run your hands over his hair when he’s got that buzz cut. 😉
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 2:34 am |
Servetus does not contact Richard Armitage. Servetus does not touch Richard Armitage’s hair. I may have to put this in my FAQ.
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 2:36 am
😀
However, if given the opportunity to do so, Servetus just might plait one of Thorin’s cute little braids.
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 2:47 am
The Russian baddies did this in Spooks 7.8. with pics of the masked section D members and identified them through iris patterns. Of that doesn’t mean it works in real life.
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Jane said this on January 9, 2012 at 7:01 pm |
I have to say that I can’t see how it would necessarily work with a retina. Given what I learned about detached and torn retinas this summer.
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servetus said this on January 14, 2012 at 1:51 am |
LOL! People have been saying that? They never considered the lighting?
Yes, he may be good but he’s not that good. 😉
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judiang said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:30 am |
would be neat if it were true, though 🙂
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servetus said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:53 am |
I *love* your Anatomy series! (My favourite are the resartus series though).
I think your explanation for the dilatatd pupils is the most probable one: he is an actor after all, therefore he cooks up something in his mind before each scene to express a specific mood (love, lust, violence whatever).
I heard in an interview that they re-shot the last N&S scene for a whole afternoon, so he must be very good to show at each camera angle and countless times that love-filled and tender face to Margaret!
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Alessandra said this on January 9, 2012 at 3:45 am |
Thanks, Alexxandra.
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servetus said this on January 14, 2012 at 1:51 am |
I have to say that your initial, untouched image of Richard Armitage’s mesmirizing eyes stopped me cold in my typing tracks. He has two amazingly expressive eyes. And the eyes are the window to the soul. Ergo, QED, etc., Mr. Armitage has one amazingly expressive soul. That may be a bit enthymeme like. But what the heck. Ha!
Cheers! Grati ;->
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Gratiana Lovelace said this on January 9, 2012 at 4:04 am |
Certainly,actors have their trics to induce specyfic mood, or they use additional,extra- handy favorite materials;)
I swear,for me, eyes are his best and most beautiful instrument.:)
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Joanna said this on January 9, 2012 at 7:33 am |
I rewatched Spooks 7 and the cast interviews tonight. The thing cast and crew members kept saying about Richard (other than him being, so handsome, nice, funny and sublime) was how much he could express with his eyes alone. He told us of Lucas’s interior journey with those amazing eyes.
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 7:56 am |
What was said about Richard’s eyes by these people always stuck with me Angie and impressed me greatly. His eyes were one of the things that drew me to him as an actor in the first place and they still do. One of my favourite “eye” pictures is this one.
http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/images/gallery/Richard/EventsandAppearances/Strike-Back-Premiere-15Apr10/album/slides/SBPremiere22.html
I can stare at it endlessly as you feel he is looking right back at you with such an unfathomable expression in those amazing blue eyes. He does make one wonder just what is going on behind them! *Sigh*
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Teuchter said this on January 9, 2012 at 8:23 am |
And please note the stubble there too!! 😉
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Teuchter said this on January 9, 2012 at 8:24 am |
Oh, yes, that is a good one. Eyes AND stubble.
I look into those eyes and I see a keen intelligence without arrogance; humor without meanness; a thoughtful and introspective man.
Who also happens to be devastatingly attractive. *thud*
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 8:40 am |
Amen Angie<3
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Joanna said this on January 9, 2012 at 3:02 pm |
Amen, sisters.
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ladyanne said this on January 9, 2012 at 3:44 pm |
Yes, someone mentioned in the interview segment the air of mystery about him even in real life. And that there’s obviously a lot going on behind those blue eyes . . . he is a man who makes an impression, that is for sure.
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 8:35 am |
I love the RA-anatomy lesson -) but still I’d like to know where it comes from the magic in his glance *thud*
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Ania said this on January 9, 2012 at 11:27 am |
I didn’t learn that in anatomy, sadly.
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servetus said this on January 14, 2012 at 1:52 am |
I had to smile when I saw this…a post about those gorgeous eyes of RA’s, just when I was trying to decide if I should upload my first video to YT. The song title? “Bedroom Eyes.” I could have continued fiddling with it forever but the coincidence was too delicious to ignore, so now it’s done. My first ever fanvid on YT!
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Mezz said this on January 9, 2012 at 11:50 am |
Congrats, Mezz! Is your channel under the same name?
And if anyone has bedroom eyes–oh, yes, it is Mr. A. *thud*
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angieklong said this on January 9, 2012 at 12:32 pm |
Thanks angie, it’s under mezzym01. After midnight here and I’ve just spent an hour trying to get all the tags to show as I wanted them, it kept defaulting…found out I needed to enclose pairs of words, but I’m getting the hang of it! It’s quite a learning curve.
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Mezz said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:31 pm |
Those eyes are just extraordinarily expressive. The surrounding muscles are so – flexible? The face is simply made for close-up camera work.
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fitzg said this on January 9, 2012 at 1:45 pm |
That piercing stare just shoots right through you! Love it! The stubble does frame the eyes. 🙂
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@Rob said this on January 9, 2012 at 2:57 pm |
My daughter has eyes that change colour from deep blue through green to gray to a gold-flecked not-quite-hazel. Interesting to know it’s a rare phenotype. As for the dilation, I think he’s acting, but there are tricks you can use to get that effect, one of which is rather time limited. CG retouch in that S3 episode, maybe, especially for a prolonged take — less risky than messing with vision so close to a cliff.
When you think that the eyes are the exposed parts of the brain, a look is really a very intimate touch.
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ladyanne said this on January 9, 2012 at 4:06 pm |
I don’t think they were anywhere near a cliff in that scene. But I love the idea of the eyes being the exposed pieces of someone’s brain.
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servetus said this on January 14, 2012 at 1:58 am |
Eyes to drown in….
Another great analysis servetus. Your mention of the pronounced sulcus was interesting, that it can make a face appear more child-like. To me it’s more noticeable with Lucas, probably because of the way Spooks scenes are lit, giving him added vulnerability.
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Mezz said this on January 10, 2012 at 12:31 am |
Eye thank you for this illuminating and insightful post. 😉 The Institute of Armitage Studies is grateful for your contributions!
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phylly3 said this on January 10, 2012 at 6:43 am |
Thanks, phylly, I try to my best for the Institute.
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servetus said this on January 14, 2012 at 1:58 am |
This is the best eye analysis I have ever read. The best part is the stubbles. Haha! Kudos to you!
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Julie said this on March 25, 2012 at 7:07 am |
Thanks for the comment, Julie, and welcome.
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servetus said this on March 25, 2012 at 3:37 pm |
[…] voice, let us refresh our memories as to the physical features of Mr. Armitage’s eyes via the previous overview. […]
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Till you see the whites of Armitage’s eyes « Me + Richard Armitage said this on April 15, 2012 at 4:11 am |
[…] the pronounced lower eyelid fold; […]
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Why Richard Armitage had to be beautiful « Me + Richard Armitage said this on June 8, 2012 at 10:45 pm |
[…] around his supraorbital ridge vies us a particularly beautiful perspective on his pronounced inferior palpebral sulcus (below left). From this perspective, it makes his face seem even more […]
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When are big files are too big? Richard Armitage and the long-haired co-star « Me + Richard Armitage said this on June 12, 2012 at 9:38 pm |