#hitsory

It was also the resurgence of Humanism. Humanism was the movement where because of the revival interest into the classics, it focused not on religion but focused on what it is to be human. Because of this, some of the greatest thinkers, scientists, authors, and artists thrived in this era. In this era, it was able to bridge the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day civilization. To me, Humanism is what defined the Renaissance era.

However, to choose a piece that would best represent the Renaissance, I had to go to the man who embodies the Renaissance itself, Leonard da Vinci (1452-1519). Dubbed as the "Renaissance man," he was a painter, architect, engineer, and scientist. For him, art, was deeply connected with science and nature. Moreover, as he was self-taught, he filled many notebooks with sketches, inventions, and theories, mostly about aeronautics and anatomy. Admittedly, though, he is best known for two of his works, Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. However, the work that I think best represents him for who he is and the era is his iconic illustration of the Vitruvian Man.

The Vitruvian Man (1492) is an illustration Leonardo drew, rendered in pen and ink. The subject is an idealized nude male standing within a square and a circle. He chose to depict this man with four legs and four arms, striking 16 poses simultaneously. The text is written at the top and bottom in the illustration itself, which ultimately explains the specific measurements of every body part of the figure.

Here is it’s direct translation of the text (from top to bottom):

“Vitruvius, the architect, says in his work on architecture that the measurements of the human body are distributed by Nature as follows that is that 4 fingers make 1 palm, and 4 palms make 1 foot, 6 palms make 1 cubit; 4 cubits make a man's height. And 4 cubits make one pace and 24 palms make a man; and these measures he used in his buildings. If you open your legs so much as to decrease your height 1/14 and spread and raise your arms till your middle fingers touch the level of the top of your head you must know that the centre of the outspread limbs will be in the navel and the space between the legs will be an equilateral triangle.

The length of a man's outspread arms is equal to his height.

                 From the roots of the hair to the bottom of the chin is the tenth of a man's height; from the bottom of the chin to the top of his head is one eighth of his height; from the top of the breast to the top of his head will be one sixth of a man. From the top of the breast to the roots of the hair will be the seventh part of the whole man. From the nipples to the top of the head will be the fourth part of a man. The greatest width of the shoulders contains in itself the fourth part of the man. From the elbow to the tip of the hand will be the fifth part of a man; and from the elbow to the angle of the armpit will be the eighth part of the man. The whole hand will be the tenth part of the man; the beginning of the genitals marks the middle of the man. The foot is the seventh part of the man. From the sole of the foot to below the knee will be the fourth part of the man. From below the knee to the beginning of the genitals will be the fourth part of the man. The distance from the bottom of the chin to the nose and from the roots of the hair to the eyebrows is, in each case the same, and like the ear, a third of the face.”

Why the Vitruvian Man? It illustrates what Leonardo believed to be a divine connection between the human form and the universe. Second, it was his reflection on human proportion and architecture through words and images. The illustration aims to integrate ideas about art, architecture, human anatomy, and symmetry. Leonardo creates a meaning that could not be created through words or images alone; instead, by merging text and illustration. Many others had already illustrated Vitruvius's theory, but his work differs because he could incorporate two different positions within the same image.

How does this represent the Renaissance? Well, it reflects a lot of what the Early Renaissance developed in the first place. Namely the extensive study of the human form and the development of the scientific perspective. He used dissection of the human form in work and used mathematical calculations to create the human form. That is what a lot of Renaissance works are, not only is it about the art (creativity) but also the science of it. It is also reflected during the High Renaissance, where almost all the artists were concerned with the human form and its shape. For example, Michelangelo and Raphael's works (painting) was always concerned with the human body.