LEONARDO DA VINCI

Together with Dante Alighieri with his Divine Comedy, and J. S. Bach with most of his composition, like the Well Tempered Clavier and the Goldberg Variations, Leonardo has been always one of the figures I compare myself to in life, studies and behaviors.

The picture here is of his Vitruvian Man is perhaps Leonardo da Vinci's most famous illustration. In this work, Leonardo used both image and text to express the ideas and theories of Vitruvius, a first century Roman architect and author of 'De Architectura libri X'. The Vitruvian ideas, presented by Leonardo, formed the basis of Renaissance proportion theories in art and architecture.

In his treatise, Vitruvius discussed proper symmetry and proportion as related to the building of temples, much like the ancient Greeks did with the Parthenon. The architect believed that the proportions and measurements of the human body, which was divinely created, were perfect and correct. He therefore proposed that a properly constructed temple should reflect and relate to the parts of the human body. He noted that a human body can be symmetrically inscribed within both a circle and a square; this idea influenced his architectural practice.

Various artists and architects had illustrated Vitruvius' theory prior to Leonardo, but da Vinci's drawing differs from the previous works in that the male figure adopts two different positions within the same image. He is simultaneously within the circle and the square; movement and liveliness are suggested by the figure's active arms and legs. Leonardo's figure appears as a living being with unruly hair, distinct facial features and a strong build. While the subject is lively, thin lines on his form show the significant points of the proportion scheme. These lines indicate da Vinci's concern with the architectural meaning of the work. Leonardo is representing the body as a building and illustrating Renaissance theory which linked the proportions of the human body with architectural planning.

The Vitruvian Man is Leonardo da Vinci's own reflection on human proportion and architecture, made clear through words and image. The purpose of the illustration is to bring together ideas about art, architecture, human anatomy and symmetry in one distinct image. By combining text and illustration, da Vinci evokes a meaning which could not be created through words or image alone.

When I was in my young years at school I studied and loved pretty much all that Leonardo did and represented, only in later years I realized the influence that he had on the renaissance and the arts with culture of that time, that are the foundations of the way we think and appreciate arts and culture today.

Even if Da Vinci thinking is reflected in our current culture I still believe it’s important to learn about this man who was an artist and scientist, so I can’t wait to teach about this to my treasures soon, when the perfection of nature was evident already hundreds of years ago, it’s clear that it isn’t something that happened by case, a superior intelligence must have modeled the whole universe at the beginning of time and we humans have ust been discovering and understanding better this plan that we surely never made ourselves.

http://thealchemicalegg.com/VitruviusN.html