Beatriz de la torre - project

Vitruvian Man - Leonardo da Vinci
1487 (Renaissance)

 

Why does it represent the history of that time?                                  

One of the main characteristics of the Renaissance is the concept of humanism, which is like an ideology that makes the man a key point in life, it talks about the human mind and the abilities a man has. The Vitruvian Man is obviously a good representation of how the “perfect” man is and it shows the balance and the symmetry a human should have. If you know all this about the Renaissance and you see this drawing by Leonardo da Vinci you can get a very neat idea of what that particular period represented and what were the “new ideas” emerging around that time.

Why does it represent the culture of that time?

I already mentioned the ideology of the humanism and this has a lot to do with the culture of the Renaissance because that is basically how most of the population thought about the human in that time and that was the ideal human form so this tells me that maybe people from the Renaissance, or at least artists, were very perfectionists when it came to art and maybe even to their ways of living. That’s something I’m not sure about but I can think that because of the careful works of art and the precision in every single detail of a painting, sculpture, drawing, etc. For instance the David, by Michelangelo, it’s also very real.

Why and what does it represent something you really fond of that time or period?

I personally like the Renaissance because I can be very perfectionist sometimes and I like the fact that perfection is not only represented through arts, but trough your own life, as well. We can see it in paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance but it’s something you can see in your everyday life around you.

Why do you like that particular artist that much?

I like Leonardo da Vinci because he was not only a very good artist, but he was also a scientist and that’s something we can see in the Vitruvian Man because that’s not only a drawing, it’s also a whole new “prototype” of the proportions of a man and it’s interesting, too, because it has Leonardo’s notes below and above the drawing. So that’s why I like Da Vinci because besides the amazing works of art he created, he was also smart enough to represent reason and science through arts. 

My own creation:

 

Sources

·         Gorman, Michael John. The Worlds of Leonardo da Vinci. “Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man”. nd. Web. Date of access: 04 Oct 2010.

·         Bowman, David. Aiwaz. “Vitruvian Man”. nd. Web. Date of access: 04 Oct 2010.