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Da Vinci Man. Leonardo da Vinci: the golden ratio in brief

Leonardo da Vinci and his Vitruvian Man

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"

Self-portrait. After 1512
Paper, sanguine. 33.3×21.6 cm
Royal Library, Turin. Wikimedia Commons

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.

The figure and its explanations are sometimes called "canonical proportions". The drawing is made in pen, ink and watercolor with a metal pencil, the dimensions of the drawing are 24.5 × 34.3 centimeters. It is currently in the collection of the Accademia Gallery in Venice. The drawing is both a scientific work and a work of art, and it also exemplifies Leonardo's interest in proportions.

According to Leonardo's accompanying notes, it was created to determine the proportions of (male) human body, as described in the treatise of the ancient architect Vitruvius "On Architecture" (Book III, chapter I):

* the length from the tip of the longest to the lowest base of the four fingers is equal to the length of the palm;
* the foot is four palms;
* the elbow is six palms;
* the height of a person is four cubits from the tips of the fingers (and, accordingly, 24 palms);
* a step is equal to four palms;
* the span of human hands is equal to its height;
* the distance from the hairline to the chin is 1/10 of its height;
* the distance from the top of the head to the chin is 1/8 of its height;
* the distance from the crown to the nipples is 1/4 of its height;
* the maximum width of the shoulders is 1/4 of its height;
* the distance from the elbow to the tip of the arm is 1/4 of its height;
* the distance from the elbow to the armpit is 1/8 of its height;
* the length of the arm is 2/5 of its height;
* the distance from the chin to the nose is 1/3 of the length of his face;
* the distance from the hairline to the eyebrows is 1/3 of the length of his face;
* the length of the ears is 1/3 of the length of the face;
* The navel is the center of the circle.

2. Combination of art and science

Leonardo da Vinci. Vitruvian Man. 1490
Homo vitruviano
34.3×24.5 cm
Accademia Gallery, Venice. Wikimedia Commons

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 theories about 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" is 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 get an idea of \u200b\u200bideal 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 from the point of view 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, 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 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 a 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.

12. The sketch has other, less esoteric names.

The sketch is also called "The Canon of Proportions" or "The Proportions of a Man".

13. The Vitruvian Man does 16 poses at the same time.

At first glance, only two poses can be seen: standing man, who moved his legs and spread his arms, and a standing man with legs apart and arms raised. But part of the genius of Leonardo's depiction is that 16 poses are depicted simultaneously in one drawing.

14. Leonardo da Vinci's creation was used to represent the problems of our time.

Irish artist John Quigley used an iconic image to illustrate the problem global warming. To do this, he depicted a multiply enlarged copy of the Vitruvian Man on the ice in the Arctic Ocean.

15. The original sketch is rarely seen 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.

Vitruvian Man - that's what it's called graphic image naked man in the famous sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. It has been studied for centuries. However, scientists are sure that not all the secrets of the drawing have been revealed yet.

Leonardo da Vinci: Vitruvian Man (Academic Gallery, Venice, Italy)

Being one of the most mysterious and controversial figures of his era, Leonardo da Vinci left behind many secrets. Their meaning still disturbs the scientific minds of the whole world. One of these mysteries is the Vitruvian Man, a pencil sketch of which has been carefully preserved for centuries. And although a lot is known about him, but experts in the field of art are sure that great discoveries are yet to come.

Vitruvian Man is official name sketch by Leonardo. It was made by him in 1492 and was intended to illustrate a handwritten book. The drawing represents a naked man whose body is inscribed in a circle and a square. In addition, the image has a duality - the human body is depicted in two poses superimposed on each other.

As you can see when examining the drawing, the combination of arm and leg positions actually results in two different positions. A pose with arms spread apart and legs brought together turns out to be inscribed in a square. On the other hand, the pose with arms and legs spread out to the sides is inscribed in a circle. On closer examination, it turns out that the center of the circle is the navel of the figure, and the center of the square is the genitals.

Da Vinci's diary, for which the drawing was intended, is called the Canon of Proportions. The fact is that the artist believed in a certain number "phi", calling it divine. He was sure of the presence of this number in everything created in wildlife. However, da Vinci tried to achieve the “divine proportion” he had deduced in architecture. But this remained one of the unrealized ideas of Leonardo. But the Vitruvian Man is fully depicted in accordance with "phi", that is, in the figure - a model of an ideal creature.

According to Leonardo's accompanying notes, it was created to determine the proportions of the (male) human body, as described in the treatises of the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius; to which Leonardo wrote the following explanations:

the length from the tip of the longest to the lowest base of the four fingers is equal to the palm
foot is four palms
a cubit is six palms
the height of a person is four cubits from the tips of the fingers (and, accordingly, 24 palms)
step equals four palms
the span of human hands is equal to its height
the distance from the hairline to the chin is 1/10 of its height
the distance from the crown to the chin is 1/8 of its height
the distance from the crown to the nipples is 1/4 of its height
the maximum width of the shoulders is 1/4 of its height
the distance from the elbow to the tip of the arm is 1/4 of its height
the distance from the elbow to the armpit is 1/8 of its height
arm length is 2/5 of its height
the distance from the chin to the nose is 1/3 of the length of his face
the distance from the hairline to the eyebrows is 1/3 of the length of his face
ear length 1/3 face length
the navel is the center of the circle

The rediscovery of the mathematical proportions of the human body in the 15th century by da Vinci and others was one of the great achievements that preceded Italian Renaissance.

Subsequently, according to the same methodology, Corbusier compiled his own proportioning scale - Modulor, which influenced the aesthetics of architecture of the 20th century.

The drawing appeared as a result of studying Italian master works of Vitruvius - an outstanding architect ancient rome. In his treatises, the human body was identified with architecture. However, denying this idea, da Vinci developed the idea of the union of three elements in man - art, science and divine principles, that is, a reflection of the Universe.

In addition to a deep philosophical message, the Vitruvian man also has a certain symbolic meaning. The square is interpreted as material sphere, circle - spiritual. The contact of the figures with the body of the depicted person is a kind of intersection in the center of the universe.

On the this moment the sketch is kept in the Venice Museum. There is no free access to the relic - the exhibit is exhibited extremely rarely. Those who wish have the opportunity to look at it once every six months, since moving and being in direct light are detrimental to the manuscript, which is almost 500 years old. Most of the da Vinci structures made according to sketches have survived to this day. Those who wish can see the old projects and their current incarnation in Milan, in the Museum of Science of Leonardo da Vinci, located near the Sant'Ambrogio metro station.

Interesting Facts:

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.
In 2011, Irish aerial artist John Quigley painted a giant copy of the famous Vitruvian Man painting on the ice of the Arctic Ocean in order to draw the attention of mankind to the problems of ecological balance.
In 2012, reports were published that the first visual image of the “Vitruvian Man” was drawn not by Leonardo, but by his friend Giacomo Andrea da Ferrara, who studied the works of Vitruvius in detail, although his drawing is disproportionately inferior to Leonardo’s drawing in terms of artistic merit.

Vitruvian Man is still the subject of close scrutiny. The image, created by the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, contains many mysteries and raises many questions.

One of the factors affecting visual perception of a person are certain relationships between the components of the whole. But the Vitruvian Man is not only an image of the ideal proportions of the human body. The work of the legendary Leonardo da Vinci is filled with a deep philosophical, symbolic, spiritual meaning.

History of appearance

pencil drawing was made by an Italian master while studying the works of a citizen of Rome, the architect Mark Vitruvius. exact date no one knows the writing of these works, but they are usually dated to the first century BC. In one of the books of Vitruvius, in detail are described ideal proportions human body. However, the work does not contain any illustrations.

Before Leonardo da Vinci, many illustrators tried to translate the content of the notes into images, including the friend of the great master Giacomo Andrea da Ferrara. Documentary evidence is known that friends discussed among themselves the works of the Roman architect.

Known to everyone in modern times, the Vitruvian Man is very similar to Giacomo's drawing. However, the essence of the work of Leonardo da Vinci is completely different. This is not just an illustration of the text. It's at the same time treatise and a work of art.

The union of the spiritual and the material

One of the obvious differences between Leonardo da Vinci's drawing and others is the position of a person, his place in a circle and a square. The image contains not one, but several figures at once. Moreover, when the pose changes, the center of the picture also shifts: it is either the center of the square (for a figure with legs brought together), or the center of a circle (for a person with outstretched legs and arms).

The reduced legs of the figure are on the side of the square, which is tangent to the circle. Researchers see in this the duality of the Vitruvian man as a divine, but still earthly being, close to material reality.

Another detail of the drawing shows how the artist distinguishes between the spiritual and material principles in a person: the measuring lines refer only to the figure inscribed in a square. A person inscribed in a circle, as a divine and spiritual being, is not related to various measures of measurement, and perhaps, according to Leonardo's plan, cannot be.

Mysteries of the Vitruvian Man

There is a version that the creation of a picture is related to work Italian artist over the Shroud of Jesus Christ. It was at this time that she was master of genius. He was engaged in the study and restoration of historical relics.

Researchers believe that the perfect proportions of the body of Christ inspired the master to embody them in the drawing. The Vitruvian Man is a depiction of the divine proportions of the human body.

The position of the male figure, its being at the same time in the middle of the circle and in the middle of the square suggests that for the great Leonardo man is the center of the Universe, the image of God embodied in reality.

Vitruvian man in modern times is perceived as a symbol of the natural symmetry of the human body and the entire universe, material and spiritual, ideal and rational. The location of a human being simultaneously inside a circle and a square leads the viewer to an understanding of the inseparable connection between a person and the Universe, between his inner (spiritual) and surrounding (material) world.

Creating works of art is impossible without observing strict ratios and proportions. They do not appear from nowhere, they are created by nature itself. The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the brightest illustrations of the laws of harmony to which the entire Universe is subject.

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 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.

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 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 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 a 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 top of the head, then the center 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.

Arms outstretched length 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 the 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.

1. Leonardo never intended to flaunt his "Vitruvian Man"

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

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. 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 painted many people in order to get an idea of \u200b\u200bideal proportions.

7. Vitruvian man - the ideal of a man

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

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, a cubit 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

12. The sketch has other, less esoteric names.

The sketch is also called "The Canon of Proportions" or "The Proportions of a Man".

13. The Vitruvian Man does 16 poses at the same time.

At first glance, only two poses can be seen: a standing person who has moved his legs and spread his arms, and a standing person with legs apart and arms raised. But part of the genius of Leonardo's depiction is that 16 poses are depicted simultaneously in one drawing.

14. Leonardo da Vinci's creation was used to represent the problems of our time.

Irish artist John Quigley used an iconic image to illustrate the problem of global warming. To do this, he depicted a multiply enlarged copy of the Vitruvian Man on the ice in the Arctic Ocean.

15. The original sketch is rarely seen 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.

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