The Vitruvian Man: A Renowned Medical Work of Art

This drawing is made by the famed Leonardo da Vinci and is also known as the “Canon of Proportions” or sometimes the “Proprtions of Man”. The original illustration has been preserved in the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, Italy.

The artwork is unique from other artistic creations because it clearly mirrors the unique fusion of art and science. It shows an overlapping image of a man with arms and legs away from each. Further, the image of the man is made to fit inside a square and a circle. Additionally, this artwork is basically based on the principle of Vitruvius, the famous architect, who noted that the man is the epitome of proportions and that the human figure clearly depicts cephalocaudal balance. Vitruvius theorised that each portion of the human anatomy is exactly symmetrical from all the other body parts. He actually made a distinct explanation about how each anatomical part is proportional to all the other parts of the human body. These discussions are clearly written on the da Vinci’s original artwork.

However, this claim about human proportions was contradicted during the Romanticist era. According to anthropometry, there is such thing as individual variations and that this proportional viewpoint is not applicable to all humans. Moreover, there are evident average estimates for each body part that gauge the normal measurement ranges of each body part.

Nonetheless, despite the arguments against the theory, the Vitruvian Man is currently the representation for medical professionals and many medical firms. And with this, more artists have made this artwork their inspiration in creating their own version of this unique masterpiece. Cesare Cesariano, for instance, did his version of the Vitruvian Man. In his work, he drew numerous horizontal and vertical lines around the naked man that is encased inside a diamond figure. His version clearly depicts the wonders of geometrical artistry. Another notable version of this artwork is Susan Dorothea White’s “Sex Change for Vitruvian Man”. Her illustration shows an image of an overlapping naked female instead of a male.

Indeed this work is a milestone in the field of art because its unparalleled and exceptional theme makes it stand out from all the other masterpieces of all time.