How to play
The Vitruvian Man is a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci circa 1490, which depicts a man in two overlapping positions within a circle and a square. The purpose of the drawing was to represent the ideal proportions of a body and to demonstrate how it can be inscribed in the circle and square, the two “perfect” geometric figures. In the exhibit you are invited to measure the length of your outstretched arms like those of Homo Vitruvianus and your height, then check with the relationship that binds these two measurements if you are a “golden man/woman” .The work is so named because it was inspired by the work of the Greek architect and philosopher Marcus Vitruvius Pollonius, who in 15 B.C. thus wrote:
Moreover, the center of the human body is by nature the navel; in fact, if you lie a man on his back, hands and feet spread wide, and point a compass at his navel, you will touch tangentially, describing a circle, the ends of the fingers of his hands and feet
The perfect proportion (or golden section) of the body within a circle can be represented by a segment divided into two parts a and b, where a+b represents the total height of the person and a the distance from the ground to the navel, such that the ratio of a+b to a is equal to the ratio of a to b. From which we get that the golden section is: 1,618033988
Concretely, to have perfect proportions, a tall person 1,62 m will have to have the navel about 1 m from the ground.
Educational Links: For an in-depth study of the Golden ratio (click & download):
Curiosity: For us it is just a nice curiosity, but for centuries, we have been finding the golden ratio behind the idea of harmony and perfection. Moreover, there is no scientific evidence that those proportions are “more beautiful” than others, so it remains just a matter of taste and culture.
Other external resources:
Article by Piergiorgio Oddifreddi on the proportions that inspired art. (ITALIAN)
How to build
EXHIBIT MATERIAL:
- n. 1 Vertical pallet 120×200 cm
- n. 1 Base pallet 120×80 cm
- n. 1 Mobile pallet 160x90cm, cardboard frame with plexiglass panel (90x90cm), and wheels
- Cardboard frame with hole 90x90cm
- Homo vitruvian silhouette with red plexiglass circle
- Cardboard explanation panel (100x100cm) with 120cm diameter plexiglass circle applied on
- Title panel for mobile pallet
- Flexible meter for measuring height
CLICK AND DOWNLOAD PRINT-READY .PDF FILES: