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[[Image:Da Vinci Vitruve Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|right|[[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s ''Vitruvian Man'' (ca. 1487). Pen and ink with wash over metalpoint on paper, 344 × 245 mm.]]
H
The '''Vitruvian Man''' is a world-renowned [[drawing]] with accompanying notes created by [[Leonardo da Vinci]] around the year 1487<ref>The Secret Language of the Renaissance - Richard Stemp</ref> as recorded in one of his journals. It depicts a nude male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and simultaneously inscribed in a circle and square. The drawing and text are sometimes called the '''Canon of Proportions''' or, less often, '''Proportions of Man'''. It is stored in the ''[[Gallerie dell'Accademia]]'' in [[Venice]], Italy, but is only displayed on special occasions.<ref>[http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/history/leonardo.html The Vitruvian man]</ref><ref>[http://witcombe.sbc.edu/davincicode/leonardo-vitruvian-man.html Da Vinci's Code]</ref>

==Description==
Da Vinci based his drawing on some hints at correlations of ideal human proportions with geometry in Book III of the treatise ''[[De Architectura]]'' by the ancient Roman architect [[Vitruvius]], thus its name. Other artists had attempted to realize the conception, with less success. Vitruvius described as the principal source of proportion among the [[Classical orders|orders of architecture]] the proportion of the human figure.
This image exemplifies the blend of [[art]] and [[science]] during the [[Renaissance]] and provides the perfect example of da Vinci's keen interest in [[body proportions|proportion]]. In addition, this picture represents a cornerstone of Da Vinci's attempts to relate man to nature. [[Encyclopaedia Britannica|Encyclopaedia Britannica online]] states, "Leonardo envisaged the great picture chart of the human body he had produced through his anatomical drawings and Vitruvian Man as a ''cosmografia del minor mondo'' ([[cosmography]] of the [[Macrocosm and microcosm|microcosm]]). He believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe." It is also believed by some that Leonardo symbolized the material existence by the square and spiritual existence by the circle. Thus he attempted to depict the correlation between these two aspects of human existence.<ref>[http://altreligion.about.com/library/glossary/symbols/bldefsvitruvian.htm About.com — Vitruvian Man]</ref>
According to Leonardo's notes in the accompanying text, written in [[mirror writing]], it was made as a study of the proportions of the (male) human body as described in [[Vitruvius]], who wrote that in the human body:
* a [[palm (unit)|palm]] is the width of four fingers{{Vitruvian_Man_Measurements}}
* a [[foot (unit)|foot]] is the width of four palms (i.e. 12 inches)
* a [[cubit]] is the width of six palms
* a man's height is four cubits (and thus 24 palms)
* a pace is four cubits
* the length of a man's outspread arms is equal to his height
* the distance from the hairline to the bottom of the chin is one-tenth of a man's height
* the distance from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin is one-eighth of a man's height
* the maximum width of the shoulders is a quarter of a man's height
* the distance from the elbow to the tip of the hand is one-fifth of a man's height
* the distance from the elbow to the armpit is one-eighth of a man's height
* the length of the hand is one-tenth of a man's height
* the distance from the bottom of the chin to the nose is one-third of the length of the head
* the distance from the hairline to the eyebrows is one-third of the length of the face
* the length of the ear is one-third of the length of the face

Da Vinci is clearly illustrating Vitruvius' ''[[De architectura]]'' 3.1.3 which reads:
:''The [[navel]] is naturally placed in the centre of the human body, and, if in a man lying with his face upward, and his hands and feet extended, from his [[Omphalos|navel as the centre]], a circle be described, it will touch his fingers and toes. It is not alone by a circle, that the human body is thus circumscribed, as may be seen by placing it within a square. For measuring from the feet to the crown of the head, and then across the arms fully extended, we find the latter measure equal to the former; so that lines at right angles to each other, enclosing the figure, will form a square.''

The multiple '''viewpoint''' that set in with [[Romanticism]] has convinced us that there is no such thing as a universal set of proportions for the human body. The field of [[anthropometry]] was created in order to describe these individual variations. Vitruvius' statements may be interpreted as statements about ''average'' proportions. Vitruvius goes through some trouble to give a precise mathematical definition of what he means by saying that the navel is the center of the body, but other definitions lead to different results; for example, the [[center of mass]] of the human body depends on the position of the limbs, and in a standing posture is typically about 10&nbsp;cm lower than the navel, near the top of the hip bones.

Note that Leonardo's drawing combines a careful reading of the ancient text, combined with his own observation of actual human bodies. In drawing the circle and square he correctly observes that the square cannot have the same center as the circle, the navel, but is somewhat lower in the anatomy. This adjustment is the innovative part of Leonardo's drawing and what distinguishes it from earlier illustrations. He also departs from Vitruvius by drawing the arms raised to a position in which the fingertips are level with the top of the head, rather than Vitruvius's much higher angle, in which the arms form lines passing through the navel.

The drawing itself is often used as an implied symbol of the essential [[symmetry]] of the human body, and by extension, to the [[universe]] as a whole.

It may be noticed by examining the drawing that the combination of arm and leg positions actually creates sixteen different poses. The pose with the arms straight out and the feet together is seen to be inscribed in the superimposed square. On the other hand, the "spread-eagle" pose is seen to be inscribed in the superimposed circle.

The drawing was in the collection of [[Giuseppe Bossi]], who illustrated it in his monograph on Leonardo's ''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper]]'', ''Del Cenacolo di Leonardo Da Vinci libri quattro'' (Milan 1810).<ref>[http://www.ursusbooks.com/item94345.html Bibliographic reference.]</ref> The following year he excerpted the section of his monograph concerned with Leonardo's "Vitruvian Man" and published it as ''Delle opinioni di Leonardo da Vinci intorno alla simmetria de'Corpi Umani'' (Milan: Stamperia Reale, 1811), with a dedication to his friend [[Antonio Canova]].<ref>[http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?PAGE=3459 Bibliographical notice, no. 319.]</ref>

<blockquote>Dedicated by the author to his friend, the neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova, this discussion of Leonardo's theory of human proportions is extracted from Bossi monograph on the Last Supper, pp. 202-26 (No. 318).</blockquote>

After his death in 1815 it was acquired with the bulk of his drawings by the Accademia, and later acquired by Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

==Representations in modern times==
[[Image:Skylab2-Patch.png|thumb|200px|The [[Skylab 3]] patch shows a ''Vitruvian Man'', with a globe and sun in rear.]]

The Vitruvian Man is now used as a contemporary symbol of medical professionals and medical establishments. Many medical companies have adopted this artwork as their symbol of their group, company and or organization.

The medical profession and the Vitruvian Man has become somewhat synonymous with modern medical practices. The United States, Saudi Arabia, India and Germany are the countries which have widely accepted and adopted the Vitruvian Man as a symbol of medical professionalism.

The ''Vitruvian Man'' remains one of the most referenced and reproduced artistic images in the world today. The proportions for the human body, as proposed by Vitruvius, have inspired many other artists in drawing their version of the Vitruvian Man:
* [[Cesare Ceasariano]] (1521) who edited the important 1521 edition of “De Archtectura” of Vitruvius (Leonardo da Vinci is supposed to have provided the illustrations for this edition).
* [[Albrecht Dürer]] (1528) in his book ''Vier Bücher von menschlicher Proportion'' (Four books on human proportions)
* [[Pietro di Giacomo Cataneo]] (1554)
* [[Heinrich Lautensack]] (1618)
* [[William Blake]] (1795) “Glad Day” (now known as "Albion rose"). This representation is without the circle and square.
* [[Rich Brimer]] (1962- ) [http://www.richbrimer.com/blog/?page_id=59 A modern painted interpretation of the famous DaVinci drawing]
{{clear}}

[[Image:Eur.it.100.gif|thumb|left|The Vitruvian Man on the Euro]]
As well as its use by the medical profession, the Vitruvian Man has been used in a variety of fictional and non-fictional media, for various symbolic purposes. For example, the image appears on the national side of [[Italian euro coins|Italian 1 euro coins]], chosen by the Economy minister (and later President of the Italian Republic) [[Carlo Azeglio Ciampi]] for its high symbolic meaning of "man as a measure of all things".

Particularly when used in fiction, the image of the Vitruvian Man is commonly modified to suit the setting by featuring a character<ref>http://www.marvel.com/news/all.48 Marvel crossover announcement with Vitruvian man poster</ref>, a skeleton or a non-human<ref>http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html The logo for the Linux distribution, Knoppix</ref> (such as a robot<ref>http://www.specialist-games.com/inquisitor/assets/lrb/InqLRBpart1.pdf Rulebook for [[Inquisitor (game)|Inquisitor]], a miniatures game by [[Games Workshop]], featuring a cybernetically modified Vitruvian Man p76-77.</ref> in science fiction or an animal). The easily-recognisable image lends itself to being referenced.<ref>[http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/today.html The Vitruvian Man today</ref>
{{clear}}

<!-- Please keep this short. This is not a trivia section -->
<!-- Hello. This article is not trying to be a bullet point list of every time the Vitruvian Man appears in books/films/games/TV/etc. Making a big list like that actually makes the article worse, so please don't. -->

{{-}}

==See also==
*[[Body proportions]]
* [[Le Corbusier]] (1948): The [[Modulor]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.willamette.edu/cla/exsci/info/history/vitruvian.htm Willamette University site on Vitruvian man]
*[http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/history/leonardo.html Stanford University site on Vitruvian man]
*[http://www.klaus-schroeer.com/web2/html/arthistory2.html The Vitruvian Man and the squaring of the circle]
*[http://thealchemicalegg.com/VitruviusN.html Leonardo's Vitruvian Man]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN-q3Bj9a_A Vitruvian Man Video]
*[http://members.home.nl/robtenberge/schema/animatie.html An animation by Rob ten Berge, based on the Vitruvian Man]
*[http://www.kuleuven.be/thomas/images/secundair_onderwijs/in_de_kijker/42/VITRUVIAN_MAN_2 Vitruvian Man (2)]
*[http://www.aiborg.net/decoding Decoding the Vitruvian man]
*[http://www.aiwaz.net/vitruvian-man/a6 Geometry behind the Vitruvian man]
*[http://www.vitruvivien.com/ Vitruvivien - Female approach of Vitruvian man]


{{Leonardo da Vinci}}


[[Category:Drawings]]
[[Category:Leonardo da Vinci]]
[[Category:Renaissance art]]
[[Category:Collections of the Gallerie dell'Accademia]]
[[bg:Витрувиански човек]]
[[dk:Homo Vitruvianus]]
[[de:Der vitruvianische Mensch]]
[[el:Άνθρωπος του Βιτρούβιου]]
[[es:Hombre de Vitruvio]]
[[fr:Homme de Vitruve]]
[[it:Uomo vitruviano]]
[[he:האדם הויטרובי]]
[[hu:Vitruvius-tanulmány]]
[[nl:Vitruviusman]]
[[pl:Człowiek witruwiański]]
[[pt:Homem vitruviano]]
[[ru:Витрувианский человек]]
[[fi:Vitruviaan mies]]
[[sv:Vitruvianske mannen]]
[[tr:Vitruvius Adamı]]

Revision as of 05:10, 14 June 2008

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (ca. 1487). Pen and ink with wash over metalpoint on paper, 344 × 245 mm.

The Vitruvian Man is a world-renowned drawing with accompanying notes created by Leonardo da Vinci around the year 1487[1] as recorded in one of his journals. It depicts a nude male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and simultaneously inscribed in a circle and square. The drawing and text are sometimes called the Canon of Proportions or, less often, Proportions of Man. It is stored in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, Italy, but is only displayed on special occasions.[2][3]

Description

Da Vinci based his drawing on some hints at correlations of ideal human proportions with geometry in Book III of the treatise De Architectura by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, thus its name. Other artists had attempted to realize the conception, with less success. Vitruvius described as the principal source of proportion among the orders of architecture the proportion of the human figure.

This image exemplifies the blend of art and science during the Renaissance and provides the perfect example of da Vinci's keen interest in proportion. In addition, this picture represents a cornerstone of Da Vinci's attempts to relate man to nature. Encyclopaedia Britannica online states, "Leonardo envisaged the great picture chart of the human body he had produced through his anatomical drawings and Vitruvian Man as a cosmografia del minor mondo (cosmography of the microcosm). He believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe." It is also believed by some that Leonardo symbolized the material existence by the square and spiritual existence by the circle. Thus he attempted to depict the correlation between these two aspects of human existence.[4] According to Leonardo's notes in the accompanying text, written in mirror writing, it was made as a study of the proportions of the (male) human body as described in Vitruvius, who wrote that in the human body:

  • a palm is the width of four fingersTemplate:Vitruvian Man Measurements
  • a foot is the width of four palms (i.e. 12 inches)
  • a cubit is the width of six palms
  • a man's height is four cubits (and thus 24 palms)
  • a pace is four cubits
  • the length of a man's outspread arms is equal to his height
  • the distance from the hairline to the bottom of the chin is one-tenth of a man's height
  • the distance from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin is one-eighth of a man's height
  • the maximum width of the shoulders is a quarter of a man's height
  • the distance from the elbow to the tip of the hand is one-fifth of a man's height
  • the distance from the elbow to the armpit is one-eighth of a man's height
  • the length of the hand is one-tenth of a man's height
  • the distance from the bottom of the chin to the nose is one-third of the length of the head
  • the distance from the hairline to the eyebrows is one-third of the length of the face
  • the length of the ear is one-third of the length of the face

Da Vinci is clearly illustrating Vitruvius' De architectura 3.1.3 which reads:

The navel is naturally placed in the centre of the human body, and, if in a man lying with his face upward, and his hands and feet extended, from his navel as the centre, a circle be described, it will touch his fingers and toes. It is not alone by a circle, that the human body is thus circumscribed, as may be seen by placing it within a square. For measuring from the feet to the crown of the head, and then across the arms fully extended, we find the latter measure equal to the former; so that lines at right angles to each other, enclosing the figure, will form a square.

The multiple viewpoint that set in with Romanticism has convinced us that there is no such thing as a universal set of proportions for the human body. The field of anthropometry was created in order to describe these individual variations. Vitruvius' statements may be interpreted as statements about average proportions. Vitruvius goes through some trouble to give a precise mathematical definition of what he means by saying that the navel is the center of the body, but other definitions lead to different results; for example, the center of mass of the human body depends on the position of the limbs, and in a standing posture is typically about 10 cm lower than the navel, near the top of the hip bones.

Note that Leonardo's drawing combines a careful reading of the ancient text, combined with his own observation of actual human bodies. In drawing the circle and square he correctly observes that the square cannot have the same center as the circle, the navel, but is somewhat lower in the anatomy. This adjustment is the innovative part of Leonardo's drawing and what distinguishes it from earlier illustrations. He also departs from Vitruvius by drawing the arms raised to a position in which the fingertips are level with the top of the head, rather than Vitruvius's much higher angle, in which the arms form lines passing through the navel.

The drawing itself is often used as an implied symbol of the essential symmetry of the human body, and by extension, to the universe as a whole.

It may be noticed by examining the drawing that the combination of arm and leg positions actually creates sixteen different poses. The pose with the arms straight out and the feet together is seen to be inscribed in the superimposed square. On the other hand, the "spread-eagle" pose is seen to be inscribed in the superimposed circle.

The drawing was in the collection of Giuseppe Bossi, who illustrated it in his monograph on Leonardo's The Last Supper, Del Cenacolo di Leonardo Da Vinci libri quattro (Milan 1810).[5] The following year he excerpted the section of his monograph concerned with Leonardo's "Vitruvian Man" and published it as Delle opinioni di Leonardo da Vinci intorno alla simmetria de'Corpi Umani (Milan: Stamperia Reale, 1811), with a dedication to his friend Antonio Canova.[6]

Dedicated by the author to his friend, the neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova, this discussion of Leonardo's theory of human proportions is extracted from Bossi monograph on the Last Supper, pp. 202-26 (No. 318).

After his death in 1815 it was acquired with the bulk of his drawings by the Accademia, and later acquired by Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Representations in modern times

The Skylab 3 patch shows a Vitruvian Man, with a globe and sun in rear.

The Vitruvian Man is now used as a contemporary symbol of medical professionals and medical establishments. Many medical companies have adopted this artwork as their symbol of their group, company and or organization.

The medical profession and the Vitruvian Man has become somewhat synonymous with modern medical practices. The United States, Saudi Arabia, India and Germany are the countries which have widely accepted and adopted the Vitruvian Man as a symbol of medical professionalism.

The Vitruvian Man remains one of the most referenced and reproduced artistic images in the world today. The proportions for the human body, as proposed by Vitruvius, have inspired many other artists in drawing their version of the Vitruvian Man:

File:Eur.it.100.gif
The Vitruvian Man on the Euro

As well as its use by the medical profession, the Vitruvian Man has been used in a variety of fictional and non-fictional media, for various symbolic purposes. For example, the image appears on the national side of Italian 1 euro coins, chosen by the Economy minister (and later President of the Italian Republic) Carlo Azeglio Ciampi for its high symbolic meaning of "man as a measure of all things".

Particularly when used in fiction, the image of the Vitruvian Man is commonly modified to suit the setting by featuring a character[7], a skeleton or a non-human[8] (such as a robot[9] in science fiction or an animal). The easily-recognisable image lends itself to being referenced.[10]


See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Secret Language of the Renaissance - Richard Stemp
  2. ^ The Vitruvian man
  3. ^ Da Vinci's Code
  4. ^ About.com — Vitruvian Man
  5. ^ Bibliographic reference.
  6. ^ Bibliographical notice, no. 319.
  7. ^ http://www.marvel.com/news/all.48 Marvel crossover announcement with Vitruvian man poster
  8. ^ http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html The logo for the Linux distribution, Knoppix
  9. ^ http://www.specialist-games.com/inquisitor/assets/lrb/InqLRBpart1.pdf Rulebook for Inquisitor, a miniatures game by Games Workshop, featuring a cybernetically modified Vitruvian Man p76-77.
  10. ^ [http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/today.html The Vitruvian Man today


dk:Homo Vitruvianus

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