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 spread out to the sides, describing a circle and a square.
What are the interesting moments in this …
Drawing and text are sometimes referred to as canonical proportions. When examining the drawing, you will notice that the combination of arms and legs is actually four different poses. The pose with arms spread apart and legs not spread, fits into a square ("Square of the Ancients"). On the other hand, a pose with arms and legs outstretched fits into a circle. And although, when changing poses, it seems that the center of the figure is moving, in fact, the navel of the figure, which is its real center, remains stationary.
"Vetruvio architetto mette nelle sue opera d'architettura che le misure dell'omo …" "The architect Vetruvius laid down human dimensions in his architecture …"
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:
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 characterized by a striving for harmony, proportionality, 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 of musical sounds. These properties are not invented by humans. They reflect the properties of nature itself. One of the proportions is most common in art. It got the name "golden ratio". The golden ratio has been known since antiquity. Thus, in Book II of the "Elements" of Euclid, it is used to construct pentagons and decagons.
The term "golden ratio" was introduced by Leonardo da Vinci. If we tie the human figure - the most perfect creation of the universe - with a belt and then measure the distance from the waist to the feet, then this value will refer to the distance from the same belt to the crown of the head, just as the entire height of a person refers to the length from the waist to the feet …
Indeed, there are many proportional relationships in nature and the human body, close to that which Leonardo da Vinci called the golden ratio. Although not embodying it exactly. By the way, the golden ratio, which is preferred in many cases, is not the only attitude visually perceived as beautiful. These include ratios 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 ratio, parts give the impression of the development of forms, their dynamics, proportional complement to each other. In particular, the most common attitude is based on the golden ratio in the construction of monuments.
Is it possible to talk about the golden ratio in music? You can, if you "measure" a piece of music by the time of its performance. In music, the golden ratio reflects the peculiarities of human perception of temporal proportions. The point of the golden ratio serves as a reference point for shaping (especially in small compositions), often the culmination falls on it. It can also be the brightest moment or the quietest place, the densest in texture, or the most sound-high. But it also happens that a new musical theme appears at the point of the golden section.
15 little-known facts about Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man"
1. Leonardo never intended to flaunt his Vitruvian Man.
The sketch was discovered in one of the personal notebooks of the Renaissance master. In fact, Leonardo drew a sketch for his own research and did not even suspect that he would someday be admired. Nevertheless, today "Vitruvian Man" is one of the most famous works of the artist, along with "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa".
2. A combination of art and science.
A true representative of the Renaissance, Leonardo was not only a painter, sculptor and writer, but also an inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician and connoisseur of anatomy. This ink drawing was the result of Leonardo's exploration of the theories of human proportions as described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius.
3. Leonardo was not the first to try to illustrate Vitruvius's theories.
4. Perhaps the drawing was made not only by Leonardo himself
In 2012, the Italian architectural historian Claudio Sgarbi published findings that Leonardo's research into 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 wrong, historians agree that Leonardo perfected the flaws in 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 whole creation. In a notebook of 1492, Leonardo's entry was found: “Ancient man was a world in miniature. Since man consists of earth, water, air and fire, his body resembles a microcosm of the Universe."
6. "Vitruvian Man" is just one of many sketches.
In order to improve his art and better understand how the world around him works, Leonardo drew 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 critics 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 from a mathematical standpoint.
8. It can be a self-portrait.
Since there are no descriptions of the model with which this sketch was drawn, some art historians believe that Leonardo painted the "Vitruvian Man" from himself.
9. The Vitruvian Man had a hernia.
The surgeon at Imperial College London, Hutan Ashrafyan, 521 years after the creation of the famous drawing, established 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 figure, 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 regarding the proportions of a person, which read: “The architect Vitruvius states in his work on architecture that the dimensions 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, an elbow is 6 palms, the full height of a person is 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 will notice straight lines marking the proportions that Leonardo wrote about in his notes. For example, the portion of the face from the bottom of the nose to the eyebrows is one third of the face, as is the portion of the face from the bottom of the nose to the chin and from the eyebrows to the line where hair begins to grow.
12. The sketch has other, less esoteric names.
The sketch is also called the Canon of Proportions or Male Proportions.
13. Vitruvian man simultaneously depicts 16 poses.
At first glance, you can see only two poses: a standing person who has moved his legs and spread his arms, and a standing person with his legs spread and his arms raised. But part of the genius of Leonardo's image is that 16 poses are simultaneously depicted in one drawing.
14. The creation of Leonardo da Vinci was used to reflect the problems of our time.
Irish artist John Quigley used iconic imagery to illustrate the problem of global warming. To do this, he depicted a multiply enlarged copy of the Vitruvian Man on ice in the Arctic Ocean.
15. The original sketch rarely appears in public.
Copies can be found literally everywhere, but the original is too fragile to be displayed in public. The Vitruvian Man is usually kept under lock and key in the Accademia Gallery in Venice.