aarp travel center: The story behind the world's most famous drawing

Monday, December 5, 2011

The story behind the world's most famous drawing

Jamie Condliffe, contributor

LEONARDO DA VINCI'S Vitruvian Man is the most widely recognised drawing on the planet. A study of human form and proportion, the iconic depiction of a man standing with arms outstretched, framed by circle and square, has come to epitomise the notion of imitation as the sincerest form of flattery: it has been used by Disney, appeared on Euro coins, and even been parodied on The Simpsons.

But the image wasn't a product of imagination alone. In his new book, Da Vinci's Ghost, Toby Lester uncovers its long and intricate history, revealing that da Vinci was in the business of imitation himself. Indeed, the drawing built on the idea that the human form was a precisely proportioned structure representing the measure of all things - a philosophy developed by the Roman architect Vitruvius during the rule of Caesar Augustus.

As Lester shows, for the original Renaissance man, this idea had tremendous appeal. Skilfully tracing da Vinci's early talent for art through his passions for architecture, engineering and - crucially - human anatomy, Lester makes the case that it was this fusion of interests, and a chance encounter with a translated copy of Vitruvius's work, which culminated in the creation of the Vitruvian Man.

He weaves a sparkling account of da Vinci's personal life with an intriguing history of studies of the human form. So entwined are these narratives that he speculates on a tantalising theory: that Vitruvian Man was a self-portrait. It is a fine revelation on which to round off a fascinating book.