Leonardo da Vinci
Vitruvian Man, Study of proportions, from Vitruvius's De Architectura
approximately 1490-1492
Brown ink, metallic pencil, pen
34.3 x 24.5 cm (13.50 x 9.65)
Academic Gallery, Venice, Italy
Venice Gallerie dell'Accademie
Vitruvian Man- drawing made Leonardo Da Vinci around 1490-92, as an illustration for a book on labors Mark Vitruvius. The drawing is accompanied by explanatory inscriptions in one of his journals.. It depicts the figure of a naked man in two superimposed positions: with arms spread apart, describing a circle and a square.
Drawing and text are sometimes called canonical proportions.
When examining the drawing, it can be seen that the combination of arms and legs actually amounts to four different postures. A pose with arms spread apart and legs not spread apart fits into a square ("Square of the Ancients").
On the other hand, a pose with arms and legs spread out to the sides fits into a circle. And, although, when changing positions, it seems that the center of the figure is moving, in fact, the navel of the figure, which is its real center, remains motionless.
Subsequently, according to the same methodology, Corbusier compiled his own scale of proportioning, which influenced the aesthetics of the architecture of the 20th century.
Text in the picture:
"Vetruvio architetto mette nelle sue opera d'architettura che le misure dell'omo…" "The architect Vitruvius laid the dimensions of man in his architecture..."
In the accompanying notes, Leonardo da Vinci indicated that the drawing was created to study proportions (male) human body, as described in the treatises of the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, who wrote the following about the human body:
Nature ordered the following proportions in the structure of the human body:
Four finger length equal to the length of the palm,
four palms equal to the foot
six palms make up one cubit,
four cubits- man's height.
four cubits equal to the step, and twenty four palms equal to the height of a person.
If you spread your legs so that the distance between them is 1/14 of a human height, and raise your hands so that the middle fingers are at the level of the crown, then the central point of the body, equidistant from all limbs, will be your navel.
The space between the spread legs and the floor forms equilateral triangle.
Length arms outstretched
will be equal to growth.
Distance from the roots of the hair to the tip of the chin equal to one tenth of human height.
Distance from top of chest to top of head is 1/6 of the height.
The distance from the top of the chest to the roots of the hair - 1/7.
Distance from nipples to crown is exactly a quarter of the growth.
Shoulder Width- an eighth of growth.
Distance from elbow to fingertips- 1/5 height, from the elbow to the armpit - 1/8.
Whole arm length is 1/10 of the height.
Beginning of the genitals is right in the middle of the body.
Foot- 1/7 of the growth.
Distance from toe to kneecap equal to a quarter of the height, and distance from the patella to the beginning of the genitals also equal to a quarter of the growth.
Distance from tip of chin to nose and from hair roots to eyebrows will be the same and, like the length of the ear, equal to 1/3 of the face. The rediscovery of the mathematical proportions of the human body in the 15th century by Leonardo da Vinci and others was one of the great achievements that preceded Italian Renaissance. The drawing itself is often used as an implicit symbol of the internal symmetry of the human body, and further, of the universe as a whole.
"Vitruvian Man" is one of the most famous drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci, which was placed in one of his magazines around 1490. This drawing shows a nude figure of a man in two positions superimposed on each other. The figure of a man with arms and legs spread apart is included in a circle, and with arms spread and legs brought together - in a square. Vitruvian man Leonardo symbolizes canonical proportions.
The drawing in the magazine is accompanied by explanatory inscriptions. If you examine it, then in fact you can see that the position of the arms and legs is not two poses, as it seems at first glance, but four.
Vitruvian Man as a work of art and as a scientific work
When changing positions, it seems that the figure in the center is moving. But in reality, the navel of the figure remains motionless, and the genitals are the center of the square. In the future, it was this technique that Corbusier used to create a scale of proportions that influenced the architectural aesthetics of the 20th century. In accordance with accompanying text the drawing was created in order to determine the proportions male body. The basis for Da Vinci's drawing "Vitruvian Man" was the treatise "Man Equilibre" by the architect of Ancient Rome Vitruvius, after whom the image of the figure is named. This ancient roman used the proportions of the human body for his studies in architecture.
Human body symmetry symbol
The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci is an image of a coherent state of life, in the center of which is a person. The figure shows the ideal in terms of proportions. Two positions - in a circle and a square in the figure - display dynamics and peace. The center of the body, fixed by a square, is the phallus, the center of the moving figure is the solar plexus. Thus, great artist conveys the inconsistency of spirit (circle) and matter (square).
If we supplement the drawing with the sides of Heidegger's Quaternary, we get symbolic image the true state of man, half Divine, half Mortal, who rests his feet on the Earth and his head is in Heaven.
Vitruvian man is not only a hidden symbol of the internal symmetry of the human body, but also a symbol of the symmetry of the universe as a whole.
Interesting information
AT modern world Da Vinci's drawing is no longer perceived by mankind as a symbol ideal proportions human, in particular, the male body. This image rather symbolizes the presence of man in the universe.
There is one interesting theory, according to which Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man is an image of Christ. The artist was engaged in the restoration of the Shroud at the request of its keepers. Allegedly inspired by the image of Christ on the shrine, he transfers the impeccable proportions of his body to his drawing. So, it depicts the divine proportions of the human body. Da Vinci by placing male figure to the center of the universe, depicted man in the image of God.
The Vitruvian Man is a drawing made by Leonardo Da Vinci around 1490-1492 as an illustration for a book dedicated to the writings of Vitruvius. The drawing is accompanied by explanatory inscriptions in one of his journals. It depicts the figure of a naked man in two superimposed positions: with arms outstretched to the sides, describing a circle and a square. Drawing and text are sometimes referred to as canonical proportions.
1. Leonardo never intended to flaunt his "Vitruvian Man"
The sketch was discovered in one of the Renaissance master's personal notebooks. In fact, Leonardo drew a sketch for his own research and did not even suspect that he would someday be admired. However, today "Vitruvian Man" is one of the most famous works artist, along with The Last Supper and Mona Lisa.
2. Combination of art and science
Being a true representative of the Renaissance, Leonardo was not only a painter, sculptor and writer, but also an inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician and an expert in anatomy. This ink drawing was the result of Leonardo's study of the theories of human proportions described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius.
3. Leonardo wasn't the first to try to illustrate Vitruvius' theories
As modern scholars believe, there were many people in the 15th century and subsequent decades who tried to capture this idea in visual form.
4. Perhaps the drawing was made not only by Leonardo himself
In 2012, the Italian architectural historian Claudio Sgarbi published findings that Leonardo's study of human body proportions was prompted by a similar study done by his friend and fellow architect Giacomo Andrea de Ferrara. It is still unclear if they worked together. Even if this theory is incorrect, historians agree that Leonardo perfected the shortcomings of Giacomo's work.
5. The circle and the square have their own hidden meaning.
In their mathematical studies, Vitruvius and Leonardo described not only the proportions of man, but also the proportions of the entire creation. AT notebook 1492 Leonardo's entry was found: " ancient man was the world in miniature. Since man is made up of earth, water, air and fire, his body resembles a microcosm of the universe."
6. "Vitruvian Man" - just one of many sketches
In order to improve his art and better understand how the world around him works, Leonardo painted many people in order to form an idea of ideal proportions.
7. Vitruvian man - the ideal of a man
Who served as a model will remain a mystery, but art historians believe that Leonardo took some liberties in his drawing. This work was not so much a portrait as a conscientious depiction of ideal male forms in terms of mathematics.
8. It could be a self-portrait
Since there is no description of the model from which this sketch was drawn, some art historians believe that Leonardo painted the "Vitruvian Man" from himself.
9 Vitruvian Man Had A Hernia
Khutan Ashrafyan, a surgeon at Imperial College London, 521 years after the creation of the famous drawing, found that the person depicted in the sketch had an inguinal hernia, which could lead to his death.
10. To understand the full meaning of the picture, you need to read the notes to it.
When the sketch was originally discovered in Lernardo's notebook, next to it were the artist's notes on human proportions, which read: "The architect Vitruvius states in his work on architecture that the measurements of the human body are distributed according to the following principle: the width of 4 fingers is equal to 1 palm, the foot is 4 palms, the elbow is 6 palms, full height a person - 4 cubits or 24 palms ... Vitruvius used the same measurements in the construction of his buildings.
11. The body is lined with measured lines
If you look closely at the chest, arms and face of the person in the drawing, you can see straight lines that mark the proportions that Leonardo wrote about in his notes. For example, the part of the face from the bottom of the nose to the eyebrows is a third of the face, as is the part of the face from the bottom of the nose to the chin and from the eyebrows to the line where the hair begins to grow.
The Vitruvian Man is a drawing made by Leonardo Da Vinci around 1490-1492 as an illustration for a book dedicated to the works of Vitruvius. The drawing is accompanied by explanatory inscriptions in one of his journals. It depicts the figure of a naked man in two superimposed positions: with arms outstretched to the sides, describing a circle and a square.
Drawing and text are sometimes referred to as canonical proportions. When examining the drawing, it can be seen that the combination of arms and legs actually amounts to four different postures. A pose with arms spread apart and legs not spread apart fits into a square (“Square of the Ancients”). On the other hand, a pose with arms and legs spread out to the sides fits into a circle. And, although, when changing positions, it seems that the center of the figure is moving, in fact, the navel of the figure, which is its real center, remains motionless.
"Vetruvio architetto mette nelle sue opera d" architettura che le misure dell "omo…""The architect Vetruvius laid the dimensions of man in his architecture..." More goes description relationships between different parts of the human body.
In the accompanying notes, Leonardo da Vinci indicated that the drawing was created to study the proportions of the (male) human body, as described in the treatises of the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, who wrote the following about the human body:
“Nature disposed of the following proportions in the structure of the human body:
the length of four fingers is equal to the length of the palm,
four palms are equal to a foot,
six hands make one cubit,
four cubits is the height of a man.
Four cubits are equal to a step, and twenty-four palms are equal to the height of a man.
If you spread your legs so that the distance between them is 1/14 of a human height, and raise your hands so that the middle fingers are at the level of the crown, then the central point of the body, equidistant from all limbs, will be your navel.
The space between the legs apart and the floor forms an equilateral triangle.
The length of the outstretched arms will be equal to the height.
The distance from the roots of the hair to the tip of the chin is equal to one tenth of human height.
The distance from the top of the chest to the top of the head is 1/6 of the height.
The distance from the upper chest to the roots of the hair is 1/7.
The distance from the nipples to the crown is exactly a quarter of the height.
The greatest shoulder width is an eighth of the height.
The distance from the elbow to the fingertips is 1/5 of the height, from the elbow to the armpit - 1/8.
The length of the entire arm is 1/10 of the height.
The beginning of the genitals is located just in the middle of the body.
The foot is 1/7 of the height.
The distance from the toe of the foot to the patella is equal to a quarter of the height, and the distance from the patella to the beginning of the genitals is also equal to a quarter of the height.
The distance from the tip of the chin to the nose and from the roots of the hair to the eyebrows will be the same and, like the length of the ear, equal to 1/3 of the face.
The rediscovery of the mathematical proportions of the human body in the 15th century by Leonardo da Vinci and others was one of the great achievements that preceded the Italian Renaissance. The drawing itself is often used as an implicit symbol of the internal symmetry of the human body.
Art is inherent in the desire for harmony, proportion, harmony. We find them in the proportions of architecture and sculpture, in the arrangement of objects and figures, in the combination of colors in painting, in the alternation of rhymes and rhythm in poetry, in the sequence musical sounds. These properties are not invented by people. They reflect the properties of nature itself. One of the proportions is most often found in art. She got the title golden ratio". The golden ratio was known in antiquity. So in book II of Euclid's "Beginnings" it is used in the construction of pentagons and decagons.
The term "golden ratio" was introduced by Leonardo da Vinci. If we tie a human figure - the most perfect creation of the universe - with a belt and then measure the distance from the belt to the feet, then this value will refer to the distance from the same belt to the top of the head, as the entire height of a person relates to the length from the belt to the feet ...
Indeed, in nature and the human body there are many proportional relationships close to what Leonardo da Vinci called the golden section. Although not embodying it exactly. By the way, the golden ratio, which is preferred in many cases, is not the only ratio that is visually perceived as beautiful. These include relationships such as 1:2, 1:3. They are close to the golden ratio. In any work of art, several unequal, but close to the golden section, parts give the impression of the development of forms, their dynamics, proportional complement to each other. In particular, the ratio based on the golden ratio is most common in the construction of monuments.
Is it possible to talk about the golden ratio in music? It is possible if you measure musical composition by the time of its execution. In music, the golden ratio reflects the peculiarities of human perception of time proportions. The point of the golden section serves as a guide for shaping (especially in short essays), often it has a climax. It may also be the most bright moment or the quietest, densest place in terms of texture or the highest pitch. But it also happens that a new musical theme appears at the point of the golden ratio.
"Vitruvian Man" is widely called famous illustration Leonardo da Vinci to the book about the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius. The picture was posted in the author's diary and contained double image naked man. The figures are superimposed on each other, but differ in the position of the arms and legs. Leonardo accompanied the image of the Vitruvian Man detailed description. Now the picture is stored in a gallery in Florence and is considered a model of "canonical proportions".
Question of authorship
One of the main mysteries of the legendary Vitruvian Man is the question of who actually created him. In 2012, there were claims that the illustration was not drawn by Leonardo at all. Estimated Author famous image maybe his friend, the talented architect Giacomo Andrea de Ferrara. Just in the 90s of the XV century - the time of the creation of the Vitruvian Man - he worked on the theme of proportions.
Claudio Sgarbi, an architectural historian from Italy, is sure that it was Giacomo who drew the illustration. Leonardo could be interested in his work, and then make his own edits to it, or simply redraw a person, improving his contours. What actually happened in the distant XV century has not yet been precisely established.
Who was the model
No descriptions of the model with which the Vitruvian Man could have been drawn have survived. There is no evidence that during the indicated period of time Leonardo painted from someone the image of a naked man. Perhaps the model was the author himself.
Leonardo could draw himself in rare moments of leisure. The process of displaying his own naked body on paper was not exhibited by the master for show, therefore there were no witnesses of his work on the Vitruvian Man. Art historians believe that Leonardo embellished reality a little for the glory of pure science. After all, his task was to create an Ideal, not a reflection of reality.
What do circle and square mean
The greatest controversy is the question of why the author entered the Vitruvian Man in the indicated geometric figures. In Leonardo's diary there is an entry that a man ancient world was a microcosm, "the world in miniature".
Circle and square like basic figures geometries, reflect the regularities existing in the Universe. It was quite natural that the artist wanted to calculate the proportions of the ideal human body using the mathematical laws of the ratio of the sides of these figures.
Unsolved cipher
Leonardo is well known for his love of riddles and ciphers. Modern scientists and art historians believe that the creation of the Vitruvian Man was also not without secret signs. The most obvious is the five-pointed star, which is the figure of a man. "Rays" are the character's head, arms, and legs.
The 5-pointed star, or pentacle, was considered a protective amulet in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The same figure with a person inscribed in it still in Ancient Rome symbolized the god Mars. A similar image can be found in the German scientist Agrippa Nettesheim ("Agrippa's Pentagrammaton").
Some inhabitants mistakenly believe that the star hidden in the figure of the Vitruvian Man testifies to the artist's interest in the occult sciences. In fact, Satanists use an inverted star, the seal of the goat-like idol of Baphomet, in their rituals. But this symbol is hardly relevant to Leonardo's work on the structure of the human body.
