The Vitruvian Man
Discussion
Leonardo daVinci compiled endless sketches of both human and animal forms in order to help guide his paintings and sculptures. Much of what he discovered about human anatomy and physiology was through dissecting cadavers he had stolen from the morgue. To determine bodily proportions Leonardo spent months measuring two young men and eventually created his rendition of Vituvius’ Vitruvian Man.
Vitruvius was a moderately successful architect and engineer living during the Roman Empire. His derivation of human proportions was the only theory of proportion to survive from antiquity. Vitruvius wrote,
“… in the human body the central point is naturally the navel. For if a man be placed flat on his back, with his hands and feet extended, and a pair of compasses centered at his navel, the fingers and toes of his two hands and feet will touch the circumference of a circle described therefrom. And just as the human body yields a circular outline, so too a square figure may be found from it. For if we measure the distance from the soles of the feet to the top of the head, and then apply that measure to the outstretched arms, the breadth will be found to be the same as the height …”
Leonardo drew from Vitruvius’ theory and corrected his inconsistencies and created a new image. Leonardo’s version of the Vitruvian Man remains to this day the most famous and accurate depiction of the human body.
Objective
Students will create their own version of the Vitruvian Man and will relate Vitruvius’ theories of proportion to their model.
Procedure
1. With a partner and a digital camera locate an adult male and photograph him in the positions described below. (NOTE: to get the best results, use a model with bright clothing and photograph against a white wall.)
a. Have the subject stand upright with his legs together and his arms straight out to the sides for your first image.
b. Next have your subject open his legs until his height has been decreased by 1/14th of his original height. Then have him raise his arms until his middle fingers touch the level of the top of his head.
c. NOTE: have a calculator with you.
d. Print out your images to be included in your report. Ideally the images should be printed on 8 x 11 computer paper and proportions designated on the images.
2. Once you have acquired the images needed, determine if the following 12 statements are true. These are a translation of the text accompanying Leonardo daVinci’s Vitruvian Man.
a. The length of a man’s outspread arms is equal to his height.
b. From the roots of the hair to the bottom of the chin is a tenth of a man’s height.
c. From the bottom of the chin to the top of a man’s head is one eighth of his height.
d. From the nipples to the top of the head will be the fourth part of man.
e. The greatest width of the shoulders contains in itself the fourth part of the man.
f. From the elbow to the tip of the hand will be the fifth part of a man.
g. From the elbow to the angle of the armpit will be the eighth part of the man.
h. The whole hand will be the tenth part of the man.
i. The foot is the seventh part of the man.
j. From the sole of the foot to below the knee will be the fourth part of the man.
k. The distance from the bottom of the chin to the nose and from the roots of the hair to the eyebrows is, in each case the same, and like the ear, a third of the face.
l. The space between the legs will be an equilateral triangle.
3. Upon completion of your calculations, show these 10 ratios and statements on your newly created Vitruvian Man.
4. Repeat the above procedure on a new model other than an adult male (females, children, adolescents, etc.) Do the same relationships of proportion apply?
Report – (50 points)
Your final report should include two images of one subject, with proportions based on his height calculated for each image. Each image should be large enough to easily represent the ratios in a neat organized format. Along with your images, include answers to the following questions in your report.
1. Are your ratios similar to Vitruvius’?
2. If you have ratios that are not similar, why do you think your findings are different?
3. If your ratios are similar, what does this tell us about human bodies now compared to human form in the 1500s?