Richie Soltis

9/5/14
1A
The Vitruvian Man
In 1485, Renaissance inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci made The Vitruvian Man.
The Vitruvian Man shows da Vincis understanding of anatomy, or science of the human body,
which he learned by studying dead carcasses. The circle and square in the drawing show the
geometric proportion of the human body. The two male figures are super-imposed and create
sixteen different poses. Also, the span of the outstretched arms is equal to the height of the man.
The writings on the drawing are by Vitruvius, who was a Roman architect and author. The notes
describe how the human body is an example of proportion and classical architecture.