Vitruvian Man_Kang Chai Yuen 1106576

Vitruvian Man, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1487,

pen and ink with wash over metalpoint on paper,

34.4cm x 25.5cm



 

Vitruvian Man is da Vinci famous artwork. This painting is about human perfect proportion. From the painting, actually we can see human body is symmetrically balance. Human body can be symmetrically inscribed within both a circle and a square.

 

Leonardo's drawing combines a careful reading of the ancient text with his own observation of actual human bodies. In drawing the circle and square he observes that the square cannot have the same center as the circle, the navel, but is lower in the anatomy. He 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 lower 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,

 

We can see that, when the arms and the feet are straight, it will be inscribed in the superimposed square. However, when the arms and feet are spread out, it will be inscribed in the superimposed circle.

 

In my opinion, proportion is very important when drawing, whether it is a human, still life or building.