A characteristic or aspect can be called a facet.
From the French word facette , a facet is one of the faces or sides of a polyhedron . The term is used, according to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) , to name the faces of a cut precious stone.
In everyday language, a facet is an aspect that can be considered of a subject , a person, etc. For example: “Eric Cantona surprised with his acting facet in a film released a few months ago” , “The protests are very serious and have an economic aspect that we cannot minimize” , “The singer demonstrated his humorous side in a concert full of jokes” .
Facet as aspect or characteristic
Facet, therefore, can be an aspect or point of view of an issue. This implies that the issue can be considered from more than one perspective or taking into account various criteria: “We have to analyze the crisis in all its facets, without limiting ourselves to finances” , “Discrimination is the most serious facet of this conflict” .
In addition to all of the above, it should also be noted that the term in question is often used to refer to the characteristics of a specific historical period or artistic movement. A clear example of this is that the Renaissance is often referred to as having a double facet, referring to the fact that it was characterised by its marked passion for classicism as well as by a great intellectual interest.
Leonardo da Vinci had many facets: he was a painter, sculptor, scientist and inventor, for example.
The case of Leonardo da Vinci
It was precisely during this period that one of the men who has been considered to have cultivated the most facets, and all of them with great success, lived. We are referring to Leonardo da Vinci, who became a perfect example of what the Renaissance man was all about.
In his case, he played a leading role in areas such as these:
• Painting. In this field he left behind important works of art such as “The Last Supper” and “La Gioconda”.
• Sculpture. In this sector, the equestrian statue representing Francesco I Sforza, the founder of one of the most important dynasties in Milan, stands out in particular.
• Science. He carried out many activities in this field, most notably establishing the divine proportion. He also developed alchemy, defined the laws relating to the strength of beams, studied human anatomy in depth, dissecting cadavers, and made one of the drawings considered to be the first depicting a fetus in its mother's womb.
The facets of a human being
The different characteristics of a human being can also be mentioned as facets. Human beings are not one-dimensional, but beyond specializations, we can all develop diverse activities: “I didn't know about your facet as a singer” , “He is a well-rounded and very talented artist, but what I like most is when he exploits his histrionic side in comedies” .
It is understood that when a person can develop several facets, he or she is exploiting his or her full potential . The case is different for those who are forced to always show the same facet and are limited in showing their different abilities.