Da Vinci Circle. Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci. Golden ratio

Vitruvian Man is the name given to the graphic image of a naked man in the famous sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. It has been studied for centuries. However, scientists are confident that not all the secrets of the drawing have been revealed.

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

Being one of the most mysterious and controversial figures of his era, Leonardo da Vinci left behind many secrets. Their meaning still worries scientific minds around the 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, art experts are confident that great discoveries are yet to come.

The 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 duality - the human torso is depicted in two poses superimposed on each other.

As you can see by examining the drawing, the combination of hand and foot positions actually produces two different positions. The pose with arms spread to the sides and legs brought together turns out to be inscribed in a square. On the other hand, a pose with arms and legs spread out to the sides is inscribed in a circle. Upon more detailed 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 confident in the presence of this number in everything created in living nature. However, da Vinci tried to achieve the “divine proportion” he derived in architecture. But this remained one of Leonardo’s unrealized ideas. But the Vitruvian Man is completely depicted in accordance with “phi”, that is, the picture shows a model of an ideal being.

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:

length from the tip of the longest to the lowest base of four fingers equal to the palm
the 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)
a step equals four palms
the span of human arms is equal to his 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 top of the head to the nipples is 1/4 of its height
maximum shoulder width is 1/4 of its height
the distance from the elbow to the tip of the hand 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 other scientists was one of the great advances that preceded the Italian Renaissance.

Subsequently, using the same method, Corbusier created his own scale of proportionation - Modulor, which influenced the aesthetics of 20th-century architecture.

The drawing appeared as a result of the Italian master’s study of the 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 combining three elements in man - art, science and the divine, that is, a reflection of the Universe.

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

The sketch is currently 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 is destructive for the manuscript, which is almost 500 years old. Most of the structures made according to da Vinci's sketches have survived to this day. Anyone can see ancient projects and their modern implementation in Milan, at the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science, 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, the Universe as a whole.
In 2011, Irish aerial artist John Quigley painted a giant copy of the famous “Vitruvian Man” drawing on the ice of the Arctic Ocean in order to draw humanity’s attention to the problems of environmental balance.
In 2012, reports were published that the first visual image 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 incomparably inferior to Leonardo’s in terms of artistic merit.

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 notes in one of his journals. It depicts the figure of a naked man in two superimposed positions: with his arms spread to the sides, describing a circle and a square. The drawing and text are sometimes called canonical proportions.

1. Leonardo never intended to show off his Vitruvian Man.

The sketch was discovered in one of the personal notebooks of the Renaissance master. In fact, Leonardo drew the sketch for his own research and did not even suspect that he would one day be admired. However, today "Vitruvian Man" is one of the artist's most famous works, along with "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa".

2. Combining 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 anatomy expert. 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.

Modern scholars believe that in the 15th century and subsequent decades there were many people who tried to express this idea in visual form.

4. Perhaps the drawing was not only made by Leonardo himself

In 2012, Italian architectural historian Claudio Sgarbi published findings that Leonardo's research into the proportions of the human body was prompted by similar research done by his friend and fellow architect Giacomo Andrea de Ferrara. It is still unclear whether they worked together. Even if this theory is incorrect, historians agree that Leonardo improved on the shortcomings of Giacomo's work.

5. Circle and square have their own hidden meaning

In their mathematical research Vitruvius and Leonardo described not only the proportions of man, but also the proportions of all creation. Leonardo's note was found in a notebook from 1492: " Ancient man was a world in miniature. Since man is composed 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 worked, Leonardo painted many people to form an idea of ideal proportions.

7. Vitruvian Man - the ideal man

Who served as the 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 faithful depiction of the ideal male form from a mathematical point of view.

8. It could be a self-portrait

Since there are no descriptions of the model from which this sketch was drawn, some art historians believe that Leonardo drew the “Vitruvian Man” from himself.

9. The Vitruvian Man Had a Hernia

Imperial College London surgeon Hutan Ashrafyan, 521 years after the creation of the famous drawing, established that the man depicted in the sketch had an inguinal hernia, which could lead to his death.

10. To understand the full meaning of the drawing, 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 next principle: The width of 4 fingers is 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 drawn with measuring 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 part of the face from the bottom of the nose to the eyebrows makes up a third of the face, as does 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 "Proportions of a Man".

13. Vitruvian Man poses 16 poses at once

At first glance, you can see only two poses: standing man, who has his legs together and his arms outstretched, and a standing man with his legs spread and his arms raised. But part of the genius of Leonardo's depiction is that there are 16 poses depicted simultaneously in one drawing.

14. Leonardo da Vinci's creation was used to depict modern problems

Irish artist John Quigley used the iconic image to illustrate the issue of global warming. To do this, he depicted a many times enlarged copy of the Vitruvian Man on the 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 Galleria dell'Accademia in Venice.

It is worth noting that modern artists also turn to the work of the great da Vinci. Yes, it was recently created

The human consciousness tirelessly strives for the ideal. This height is unconquerable, because the mystery of the ideal has not been solved. One of the aspects of the ideal in our world was studied by Leonardo da Vinci. which became the topic of our article, is closely associated with the name of this genius.

Golden ratio - the secrets of our consciousness?

Although we consider our actions to be fully conscious, thinking about some everyday actions, we can doubt this.

So, for example, imagine an ordinary park bench on which we want to sit. Where will we sit? In the center of the bench or press against the edge? The third option will almost certainly happen. We will sit so that the ratio of the resulting parts of the bench is about 1.62. This way we will feel more comfortable, there will be harmony in our thoughts and feelings. This is a person’s gravitation towards the ideal. This is the golden ratio achieved.

The sages of ancient times talked a lot about everything that surrounds us. The Egyptians, Indians, and Chinese are such different ancient civilizations, and their ideas about the ideal converged precisely on the golden ratio. and the philosopher Pythagoras founded a school dedicated to the essence of the golden ratio. Even concepts were compared with ideal harmony.

In the Middle Ages, the brilliant mechanic, scientist and artist Leonardo da Vinci turned his attention to the essence of the ideal. Golden ratio, depicted by him in the world famous image of the “Vitruvian Man”.

Inheriting the highest harmony

Famous artists took a lot from the experience of ancient masters. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci embodied the golden ratio in their paintings. According to the creators, observing required proportions, you can achieve beauty in the picture.

We see the same thing in examples of ancient architecture. Everywhere in different parts of the planet, different civilizations adhered to the same proportions.

Appearance of the term

The appearance of the term "golden ratio" is attributed to the works of Pythagoras (6th century BC). He, in turn, adopted the doctrine of ideal proportions from more ancient peoples - the Babylonians and Egyptians.

Euclid first mentioned the golden ratio in his Elements. In one of his books, he provides a geometric diagram for constructing the golden division. After him, Hypiscles worked on the ideal proportions of figures in the 2nd century BC. e. This knowledge came to Europe in the Middle Ages through the Arabic translation of Euclid's Elements.

The Navarrese translator of the texts, J. Campano, wrote his comments on the translated text “Beginnings”. Apparently, it reflected significant secrets of our life that could affect it. Information about the golden ratio in Europe was available only to a select few for some time.

"Vitruvian Man"

The name and achievements of Marcus Vitruvius are known to few today, despite all his discoveries. The irony of fate is that if da Vinci had not illustrated what the Roman wrote in his “Ten Books” about the proportions of the human body, then Vitruvius might have been completely forgotten. Thus the genius of one perpetuated the genius of the other.

The golden ratio represented by Leonardo da Vinci is the proportions of the human body that can be inscribed in (a square and a circle, which have already been discussed). The image is the encrypted golden ratio, according to researchers of the issue. We know that da Vinci even liked to encode his notes, and with the key to unraveling ideal proportions.

Golden ratio of Leonardo da Vinci: what is hidden in the code?

In the image of the “Vitruvian Man” it is customary to see two bodies - two figures, one of which fits into a circle, and the other into a square. The interpretation of such a composition has the following meaning.

The circle is a symbol of the divine, including the divine origin of man. A figure located in a circle does not contain lines, that is, it is not measured. Because as a divine phenomenon, this figure cannot be measured. The center of the circle is the human navel.

According to modern ideas, seeing only two figures in the “Vitruvian Man” is too flat. In fact, there is much more to be seen in the image. And these are not all the mysteries unraveled in this riddle.

Attention is also drawn to the feet of the figure standing in the circle (divinity). They stand on a plane and extend beyond the circle. This is seen as a symbol of the fact that man gravitates towards the earthly, despite his divine component.

According to materials left by Leonardo da Vinci, the golden ratio, in short, is seen in the human body. And again, the image of the “Vitruvian Man” contains the aspiration of the people of that time for exaltation. The great genius saw and tried to pass it on to other generations deep meaning, seen by him in our nature.

Another famous creation in which Leonardo da Vinci displayed the golden ratio is the Mona Lisa. Her mysterious smile incredibly captivates millions of spectators.

The origins of the drawing "Vitruvian Man"

In very ancient, but unforgotten times, in the 1st century, the Roman Vitruvius created his “Ten Books” - a work dedicated to Emperor Augustus. But, in addition to gratitude for the help, the books contain most valuable advice in the field of architecture.

Vitruvius's books did not become famous during the author's lifetime. But it is noteworthy that it was he who started talking about the aesthetics of architecture and the ergonomics of structures. The latter is extremely important because nowadays engineers and architects design their creations based on the data of the human body to make the structures comfortable to use. In addition, Vitruvius designed the aqueduct, water supply systems that greatly improved life in Roman cities.

But one of Vitruvius’s “Ten Books” is dedicated to the human body. For the first time, the question of proportions and a certain division was raised that makes it close to the ideal. This book said that a person fits perfectly into square shape. The latter is a reflection of the essence of everything earthly. A person can also be inscribed in a circle - a symbol of the divine. In this way, a person approaches God, and such philosophizing is close to the spirit of that era.

Look again at how Leonardo da Vinci depicted the golden ratio. Pictures that can be found in many books make it possible to familiarize yourself with the code and try to see the solution to the formula.

Giacomo Andrea and da Vinci: who is the true creator?

Da Vinci's famous image of the "Vitruvian Man" has gained enormous popularity. But, as various historical sources testify, perhaps it was not Leonardo’s idea to find the golden ratio of the human body. Here, an important role was played by the artist’s friend, Giacomo Andrea, whose fate was extremely tragic.

Giacomo also made an illustration for the book of Vitruvius, depicting the lines of ideal division of the human body. If you compare it with Da Vinci's creation, the similarities will be noticed immediately. But these are not all the facts.

In the found image, the researchers saw edits: someone had corrected it, apparently bringing it to their subjective ideal. In addition, the image by Giacomo Andrea is older than Leonardo da Vinci. Plus, the latter’s creation was created “cleanly”, without amendments, with light hand. It was as if they were doing it from memory.

However, this is how events unfolded in the opinion of art historians, who are more interested in the various passions that were boiling in the science and art of that time. There is no arguing about the genius of the artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, in whose presentation we are considering the golden ratio, so it is not surprising that his “Vitruvian Man” was drawn the first time.

The golden ratio in ordinary and unusual things

In inanimate nature the formula of the golden ratio is not visible. But all living things created by nature steadily follow the law of beauty. If we look around, we will see that the most attractive and pleasing phenomena correspond to the proportions of the golden section: from the petals of a flower, a sea shell with many curls, decreasing towards the center just by desired value, to the beautiful human body, on which Leonardo da Vinci so brilliantly demonstrated the golden ratio.

The principles of the golden division are also inherited by modern artists, photographers, sculptors and designers. It is still not fully understood, but its use makes any thing much more attractive. This is its grandiose aesthetic component.

Conclusion

The secret of the golden ratio - the highest harmony that bestows beauty, is simple and unattainable overnight. We see its embodied essence in our everyday life and in simple natural things that we are accustomed to not paying attention to.

Great minds, the most ardent seekers of the mysteries of existence, such as Einstein, unraveled the exact meaning of the golden division. However, no one has yet advanced further than an infinite number of digits after zero... So what conclusions should we draw? Just those about which the wisdom of centuries repeats: nothing is perfect. But we must strive for the ideal in order to create the highest beauty, to reveal the secrets of this world and our consciousness.

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

One of the factors influencing a person’s visual perception is 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 deep philosophical, symbolic, spiritual meaning.

History of appearance

The pencil drawing was made by an Italian master while studying the works of a citizen of Rome, the architect Marcus Vitruvius. No one knows the exact date of these writings, but they usually date back to the first century BC. In one of the books of Vitruvius, the most in detail describes the ideal proportions of the human body. However, the work does not contain any illustrations.

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

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

Connection of spiritual and material

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

The closed legs of the figure are on the side of the square that is tangent to the circle. Researchers see in this the duality of 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 the square. A person inscribed in a circle, as a divine and spiritual being, has no relation to various measures of measurement, and perhaps, according to Leonardo’s plan, cannot have.

Mysteries of the Vitruvian Man

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

Researchers believe that the perfect proportions of Christ’s body 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 location simultaneously 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.

The 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 inextricable connection between man and the Universe, between his inner (spiritual) and surrounding (material) world.

Creating works of art is impossible without observing strict ratios and proportions. They don't appear out of nowhere; nature itself creates them. Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man is one of the most striking illustrations of the laws of harmony to which the entire Universe obeys.

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

Vitruvian Man is the official title of Leonardo's sketch. 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 duality - the human torso is depicted in two poses superimposed on each other.

the length from the tip of the longest to the lowest base of the four fingers is equal to the palm
the 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)
a step equals four palms
the span of human arms is equal to his 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 top of the head to the nipples is 1/4 of its height
maximum shoulder width is 1/4 of its height
the distance from the elbow to the tip of the hand 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 other scientists was one of the great advances that preceded the Italian Renaissance.

Subsequently, using the same method, Corbusier created his own scale of proportionation - Modulor, which influenced the aesthetics of 20th-century architecture.

The drawing appeared as a result of the Italian master’s study of the works of Vitruvius, the outstanding architect of Ancient Rome. In his treatises, the human body was identified with architecture. However, denying this idea, da Vinci developed the idea of combining three elements in man - art, science and the divine, that is, a reflection of the Universe.

Interesting Facts:

The drawing itself is often used as an implicit symbol of the internal symmetry of the human body and, further, the Universe as a whole.
In 2011, Irish aerial artist John Quigley painted a giant copy of the famous “Vitruvian Man” drawing on the ice of the Arctic Ocean in order to draw humanity’s attention to the problems of environmental balance.
In 2012, reports were published that the first visual image of the “Vitruvian Man” was not drawn 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 in terms of artistic merit.

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