In the Renaissance, there was an emphasis on the rebirth of learning, and arguably, the face of the movement is Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519). Da Vinci was a master artist who had mastered multiple artistic media, including was not limited to painting and sculptures, but the major takeaway of his artistic masterpieces wasn’t his adaptability but his accuracy and precision in every element of the artwork. He never had formal art training but that did not hinder his fascination in any field of study. Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487 is the perfect link between his passion for science and art. In order to understand the complexities and nuances of The Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487, there needs to be an understanding of the content and inspiration of the piece, the significance of the artwork, and the various techniques and skills that were used to create the iconic sketch.
The Renaissance translates to “rebirth” in Italian. This rebirth was the awakening of the arts and other scholarly pursuits after the Dark Ages. This meant that with the new Renaissance movement there also came to be a new expectation for men to become a “Renaissance Man” . Da Vinci was the face of this movement. His life was dedicated to various pursuits of virtually every field of academia. Although he is predominantly known for his art, he was also an exceptional mathematician. The Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487, is proof of this. The sketch has become an iconic cultural symbol. The sketch has symbolism within it. The man, potentially Jesus, is inscribed within a circle to show the connection to the divine, but the man is also inscribed within a square to show the connection to the Earth. The truly remarkable part of the sketch is the mathematical aspect of it. The entire sketch is covered from top to bottom in mathematical calculations that portray the accuracy of Da Vinci’s sketch. The Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487 was the most precise human drawing of its time and that was Da Vinci’s intention. The famous sketch was made to connect the arts, proportions, and math together in a seamless, fluid manner.
Save your time!
We can take care of your essay
- Proper editing and formatting
- Free revision, title page, and bibliography
- Flexible prices and money-back guarantee
Place an order
The next important aspect that needs to be addressed about The Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487 is the significance of the art piece. The famous sketch connects the arts, proportions, and math together in a seamless fluid manner. Because of the sketch’s versatile use in many different areas of expertise, it impacted multiple fields of study. For instance, it recently influenced modern architecture through Le Corbusier’s use of Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487 and its accuracy. He was able to implement the idea of using human proportions and the golden ratio to create the Modulor , a scale, that became a universal scale used in architecture even today. This same sketch also made appearances in his buildings (fig.2), 1943. Da Vinci also contributed to the medical field through the sketch. Throughout Da Vinci’s lifetime, he dissected dozens of corpses to perfect his understanding of anatomy. At the time, he had sketchbooks filled with medical drawings and potential procedures that were extremely accurate, but did not become commonly accepted within the medical field until the 1900’s.
The techniques and skills used to create The Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487 were very simple. The Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487 is a sketch. Da Vinci used ink and a metal point pen which was very common during the Renaissance. Da Vinci did nearly all of his sketches with the same materials. The Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487 is commonly referred to as the “Canon of Proportions”. This is because Da Vinci perfected the realistic style and proportions used today through his use of mathematics. Also, he used limited shading and let the controlled linework be at the forefront of the image. In addition to the aforementioned techniques, he superimposed multiple positionings to further his content by demonstrating different views of the same person and, showing that the proportions do not change regardless of the different stances.
Through comprehension and appreciation of the complexities and nuances of The Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487 its impact and importance is all the more impressive. The piece is the Canon of Proportions because of its precision and accuracy. Da Vinci created this piece to show the beauty of proportions and the connection between all things divine and earthly. In addition to its contribution to the art world, it also has provided a significant impact on the fields of medicine and architecture through Da Vinci’s mathematical findings. Although the piece has ordinary mediums it does not take away from the extraordinary masterpiece that it is known as today. The Vitruvian Man (fig 1.), 1487 has been an iconic and equally relevant artwork for centuries and will be for centuries to follow.