Humorous memes, political cartoons, ideal proportions, squaring the circle, and man’s place in the universe compose our story today. Let’s dive in.
Even if you don’t know its story and significance, you have probably seen this image illustrated on various things and for different purposes. From company and scientific mission logos (such as NASA’s Skylab 3 mission) to placement on German health insurance cards and Italian 1 Euro coins and numerous depictions in pop culture and political ads, we are talking about Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man drawing.
Like others in this age of Renaissance and Humanism Da Vinci was concerned with the perfect proportions of the human body being a reflection of the larger universe they inhabited. They were influenced by the work of 1st century BC Roman architect Vitruvius who said that all buildings should be modeled after the perfect proportions seen in human beings. So structures should be well thought-out and well-proportioned. We live in a harmonious world governed by mathematical properties that can be seen and should be followed in all things. The microcosm of the human body as a reflection of the larger macrocosm.
The Vitruvian Man is yet another example of Da Vinci’s merging of art and science to seek out answers to life’s complex questions. Here geometry, math, philosophy, and his anatomical experiments (dissecting over 30 human cadavers) all come together.
Let’s square the circle. This is a very old unsolvable mathematical problem. We know how to calculate the area of a circle and we also know how to calculate the area of a square but how can we fit a square inside a circle both with the same area? In reality, this is not possible due to the nature of the letter Pi but why are we talking about this here and why were the ancients so preoccupied with this?
Traditionally the Circle has symbolized the divine and infinite and the Square the earthly and finite.
So by squaring the circle and placing the well-proportioned man inside you are connecting the physical nature of man with the spiritual side. For them, the human body best exemplifies the harmony, beauty, and order seen in nature and is placed at the center.
While Leonardo does not exactly square the circle he produces an approximate solution. The center of his circle (femininity) is at the navel and the center of his square is at the groin (masculinity).
Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man states the proportions used by Vitruvius but he uses his own numerous studies, observations, and measurements. In modern times there have been some studies using 3D body scans of both males and females to compare actual proportions to Da Vinci’s and they have been rather similar.
What is humanity’s place in the cosmos? How are we connected to something larger than ourselves?
These questions may remain unanswered but the pursuit of knowledge and humanity’s potential for greatness despite its imperfections are of crucial importance for Leonardo. So think about your connection to the universe, go read that political cartoon or funny meme, and measure yourself according to the Vitruvian proportions!
Always be curious, seek out the blurred lines, and be illuminated.