Drawing of a man by Leonardo da Vinci. Vitruvian Man - the ideal man

Leonardo da Vinci. Self-portrait. 1514 - 1516

The Vitruvian Man is a drawing made by Leonardo Da Vinci around 1490-92, 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 his arms spread to the sides, describing a circle and a square.

The drawing and text are sometimes called canonical proportions. When examining the drawing, you will notice that the combination of arms and legs actually makes up four different poses. A pose with arms spread to the sides and legs not spread 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 poses, 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 down the dimensions of man in his architecture...". The following is a description of the relationships between various parts human body.

In his 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 has ordained 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 palms make one cubit,
four cubits is the height of a person.
Four cubits are equal to a step, and twenty-four palms are equal to the height of a person.
If you spread your legs so that the distance between them is 1/14 of a person's height, and raise your arms so that your middle fingers are level with the top of your head, then the center point of your body, equidistant from all limbs, will be your navel.
The space between your spread legs and the floor forms an equilateral triangle.
Length outstretched arms will be equal to growth.
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 part of the chest to the roots of the hair is 1/7.
The distance from the nipples to the top of the head is exactly a quarter of the height.
The greatest width of the shoulders is an eighth of height.
The distance from the elbow to the fingertips is 1/5 of the height, from the elbow to the armpit is 1/8.
The length of the entire arm is 1/10 of the height.
The beginning of the genitals is located right in the middle of the body.
Foot - 1/7 of the height.
The distance from the toe of the foot to the kneecap is equal to a quarter of the height, and the distance from the kneecap 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 advances before 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 desire for harmony, proportionality, and harmony. We find them in the proportions of architecture and sculpture, in the arrangement of objects and figures, 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 name " golden ratio". The golden ratio was known in ancient times. Thus, in Book II of Euclid’s Elements, it is used in the construction of pentagons and decagons.

The term "golden ratio" was introduced by Leonardo da Vinci. If human figure- the most perfect creation of the universe - we tie it with a belt and then measure the distance from the belt to the feet, then this value will relate to the distance from the same belt to the top of the head, just 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 ratio. Although not exactly embodying it. By the way, the golden ratio, preferable in many cases, is not the only relation, 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 parts, but close to the golden ratio, give the impression of the development of forms, their dynamics, proportional complement to each other. In particular, the most common ratio is based on the golden ratio when constructing monuments.

Is it possible to talk about the golden ratio in music? It is possible if you “measure” piece of music according to the time of its execution. In music, the golden ratio reflects the features human perception time proportions. The golden section point serves as a guideline for shaping (especially in small essays), often the climax falls on it. This may also be the most shining moment or the quietest place, the densest place in texture, or the highest pitch. But it also happens that at the point of the golden ratio a new musical theme appears.

Good day, dear readers! There is probably no person on the planet who has not heard anything about Leonardo da Vinci. Each of us has some knowledge about this great Italian, but a small number understand the full genius of this person. This is due, first of all, to the fact that even qualified scientists from all over the world have not solved all the secrets and mysteries of his works. This applies not only to him famous paintings depicting the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper, but also a small sketch of the Vitruvian Man.

The Man of Mystery and His Masterpieces

Study of a naked man on one of the sheets notebook Leonardo has occupied great minds for several centuries. What does this creation mean? What meaning does it carry? What did the author want to express and say in this way? What is this scheme called? There are a lot of questions about da Vinci’s works, but only some of them can be answered definitively.

It is worth noting that Leonardo da Vinci was not only a sculptor and architect, but also an inventor, engineer, writer, musician and scientist.

There is no such area of knowledge High Renaissance, which I would not be interested in this person. That is why he was able to create masterpieces, the answer to which has not yet been found to this day.

One of the most mysterious and interesting works Leonardo da Vinci Man in the Circle was created more than 5 centuries ago - in 1490-1492.

It was dedicated to the works of no less famous and great master more early eras- Vitruvius. Among the less esoteric names for this drawing are the names “Canon of Proportions” and “Proportions of a Man.”

The ancient Roman architect Vitruvius designed and built all his buildings based on the proportions of the human body. He found quite a lot of patterns that God endowed with the organisms of earthly creatures. That is why he created the treatise “Ten Books on Architecture”, in which he summarized in Latin the knowledge available at that time in the field of construction.

It is not always immediately clear how many figures are actually depicted in Leonardo’s sketch. Therefore, before starting the analysis of this work, it is worth considering it carefully. Maybe some of the readers will be able to see something there that no one has noticed yet. Very often the answer to the most complex tasks humanity lies on the surface, but no one pays attention to it. How many figures do you see in the picture above?

Vitruvian Man: Questions and Answers

Leonardo was interested in proportions at one time, so he began work on creating his “ideal” person. There is a theory that the Vitruvian Man that has come down to us is not the only option famous master Renaissance. This is due to the fact that in order to determine all the sizes and relationships between them, several sketches should be drawn and carefully analyzed. But is this really true? Will society be able to find other works by Leonardo? Will these findings help answer existing questions or will they just lead researchers into yet another dead end?

Since the Italian painter was not the only one interested in the works of Vitruvius, many scholars suggest that before drawing his man in the circle, he studied other similar drawings. It is on the basis of this theory that a similar image by Giacomo Andrea de Ferrarra, executed less artistically, but also quite accurately, dates back to a more ancient period of creation. Therefore, some art historians are confident that Leonardo only improved the work of his colleague, giving them a final and impeccable look.

Human , inscribed in a square and a circle haunts many researchers. Over many decades, they discovered more than 15 patterns and proportions that are depicted in this sketch. No less important, in addition to the drawing itself, is the annotation made by Leonardo’s own hand underneath it. It is in it that these patterns that the artist wanted to depict are described. You can feel like a real Renaissance scientist not by reading the studies of other scientists, but by discovering them yourself. Agree, this is quite exciting and does not require additional costs. People who are especially passionate about proportionality can depict their man da Vinci. But before you draw it, you should carefully study the material known from it.

What is the meaning of a person in a circle?

The basis of the entire image, which over five centuries has become a symbol of its era, is the golden ratio.

This concept reflects the structural harmony of nature and the Universe as a whole, as well as man as an integral part of it. The special relationship of one parameter to another operates outside of space and time, as if being at the basis of the entire world. Many see in it a cosmic order, esoteric manifestations, a supernatural embodiment, or a strict mathematical sequence. Everyone can decide for themselves what to consider an unusual proportion, but the only undeniable fact is that it is present in the Vitruvian Man.

If you look closely at the seemingly ordinary overlapping drawings of a naked man, you can see 16 different poses. This supports the assumption that the longer you look at Leonardo’s man, the more you can discover.

Some researchers believe that great creator The Renaissance depicted not some ideal assembled image, but himself. That is, it is possible that the man Leonardo is Leonardo himself, which only further fuels interest in research into the phenomenon of this sketch. The full meaning of the drawing is most likely still for a long time will be incomprehensible, but attempts to deepen it are definitely required. Perhaps you can find some answers to your problems there. modern society, or secret knowledge, hidden from the modern world by its superficiality and the inability to fully penetrate with all its nature into the study of global issues.

Maybe it's just a drawing

Despite the fact that the drawing may be just an ordinary sketch that does not actually hide anything behind it, many people refuse to believe in it. This is primarily due to the fact that Leonardo did not create a single masterpiece that did not contain hidden secret messages and meanings.

IN given time the original of a High Renaissance work is very difficult, if not impossible, to see. It is located in Venice, in the Academy Gallery. Although there are so many photographs and copies of it that this does not prevent anyone from getting a little taste of the art of secrets and riddles. It is worth noting that modern interpretations man by da Vinci, executed famous artists, are also gradually gaining popularity against the backdrop of the resonance that a true work creates.

IN popular culture The work of the Renaissance gradually also reached - tattoos with the image of Da Vinci's man are already on the bodies of many thousands of people.

Maybe some of the readers of this article will also want to join the cult created through its mystery. Who knows what the Vinci man was hiding in himself, and how his image on the body could change life and destiny?

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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 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 sure that big discoveries still to come.

The Vitruvian Man is official name sketch by Leonardo. It was made by him in 1492 and was intended to illustrate 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 when 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 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 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:

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 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 combining three elements in man - art, science and the divine, 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 at the center of the universe.

On at the moment the sketch is stored in Venice Museum. Free access no 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 depicted on the ice of the Northern Arctic Ocean a giant copy of the famous drawing “Vitruvian Man” in order to attract humanity’s attention to the problems of ecological 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.

Living Planet

"Vitruvian Man" is widely called famous illustration Leonardo da Vinci for a 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. The picture is now kept in a gallery in Florence and is considered an example 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, statements emerged that the illustration was not painted by Leonardo. Alleged author famous image maybe his friend, the talented architect Giacomo Andrea de Ferrara. Just in the 90s of the 15th century - the time of the creation of the Vitruvian Man - he worked on the topic of proportions.
Claudio Sgarbi, an architectural historian from Italy, is sure that it was Giacomo who drew the illustration. Leonardo could have become interested in his work, and then made his own edits to it, or simply redrawn the man, improving his contours. What actually happened in the distant 15th century has not yet been established precisely.

Who was the model

There are no surviving descriptions of the model from which the Vitruvian Man may have been drawn. There is also no evidence that during this period of time Leonardo painted an image of a naked man from someone. Perhaps the model was the author himself.
Leonardo could paint himself in rare moments of leisure. The process of displaying his own naked body on paper was not publicly displayed by the master, so there were no witnesses to his work on the Vitruvian Man. Art critics believe that Leonardo embellished reality a little for the glory of pure science. After all, his task was to create an Ideal, not to reflect reality.

What do circle and square mean?

The most controversial question is why the author included the Vitruvian Man in the indicated geometric shapes. In Leonardo's diary there is an entry that a man ancient world was a microcosm, a “world in miniature.”
Circle and square like basic figures geometry, reflect the patterns existing in the Universe. It was quite natural for the artist to want to calculate the proportions of the ideal human body using the mathematical laws of the aspect ratio of these figures.

Unsolved cipher

Leonardo is well known for his love of riddles and codes. 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 represented by the figure of a man. The "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 symbolized the god Mars back in Ancient Rome. A similar image can be found in the work of the German scientist Agrippa of Nettesheim (“Agrippa’s Pentagrammaton”).
Some ordinary people mistakenly believe that the star hidden in the figure of the Vitruvian Man indicates the artist’s interest in occult sciences. In fact, Satanists use an inverted star, the seal of the goat-like idol Baphomet, in their rituals. But this symbol is hardly related to Leonardo’s work on studying the structure of the human body.

"Vitruvian Man" is one of the most famous drawings Leonardo Da Vinci, who was featured in one of his journals around 1490. This drawing depicts a male nude figure in two positions superimposed on each other. The figure of a man with arms and legs spread apart is placed in a circle, and with arms spread apart and legs brought together - into a square. Leonardo's Vitruvian Man symbolizes canonical proportions.

The drawing in the magazine is accompanied by explanatory notes. If you examine it, you will actually notice 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 poses, it seems that the figure in the center is moving. But in reality, the navel of the figure remains motionless, and the center of the square is the genitals. Later, it was this technique that Corbusier used to create a scale of proportions, which influenced the architectural aesthetics of the 20th century. According to the accompanying text, the drawing was created in order to determine the proportions male body. The basis for Da Vinci’s drawing “The Vitruvian Man” was the treatise “The Man of 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 research in architecture.

Human body symmetry symbol

Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man is an image of a coherent state of life with man at the center. The figure shows ideal proportions. Two positions - in a circle and a square in the figure - reflect dynamics and peace. The center of the body, fixed by the 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 in Heaven.

The Vitruvian Man is not only hidden symbol internal symmetry of the human body, but also a symbol of the symmetry of the Universe as a whole.

Interesting information

IN modern world Da Vinci's drawing is no longer perceived by humanity as a symbol perfect proportions human, in particular, the male body. This image rather symbolizes man’s presence in the Universe.

There is one interesting theory, according to which Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man is a depiction of Christ. The artist was engaged in the restoration of the Shroud at the request of its guardians. Seemingly inspired by the image of Christ on the shrine, he transfers the impeccable proportions of his body into his drawing. This means that it depicts the divine proportions of the human body. Da Vinci, placing male figure to the center of the universe, depicted man in the image of God.