The Da Vinci Man
Lean, muscular, we -proportioned
For artists, less has always been more when it comes to their models’ clothing, and in cultures where morals have allowed it, both male and female bodies are regularly depicted in their most natural condition: nudity. While leaving little for the imagination, this preference does tell us a lot about ideal body types, and the most recurrent is arguably Leonardo Da Vinci’s iconic Vitruvian Man. at’s the ripped gure with four arms and legs standing in a square and a circle, to you and me.
In his work, the famous Italian painter and inventor was trying to represent divine limb proportions and the correlation between the human body and the universe. e result is the image of a lean, muscular man, not unlike the look currently in vogue.
ANCIENT INSPIRATION
This body type depicted in 1490 has much older roots: Da Vinci was inspired by a text by the Roman architect Vitruvius, who was in turn inspired by ancient Greek artists and mathematicians. Marble and bronze sculptures from the high Hellenistic period follow sets of rules all aimed at highlighting beauty, aesthetics and perfection. There are a number of famous poses and situations, including Discobolus the discus thrower, Doryphoros the spear bearer, and Diadumenos the diadem (winner’s ribbon) wearer.
“Ancient Greece is where the concept of ideal masculinity originally came from, influencing Western history ever since,” says Professor Carter. “The Greeks were the inventors of the Olympic Games, so it’s understandable the figures they liked to depict were athletes at their prime. Many competed in more than one event, so the all-rounder physique was desirable, much like it is now. In many senses, the only real difference we can see with current values is the size of the penis, as the Greeks thought smaller genitalia was a sign of virtue and restraint!”
ONE SIZE FITS ALL?
Rather than following that last point any further, it’s probably best to wrap things up. One important thing to note is that all male body types, whatever they are, are extremes in their own right and aren’t necessarily achievable – they’re simply designed to represent a certain philosophy. Leonardo Da Vinci couldn’t find one single person perfect enough to reproduce, so his drawing was made up combining parts of various male models. Even so, modern researchers now think the Vitruvian Man actually shows signs of having a hernia because of a bulge in his groin. On top of that, no matter how well-cut a suit is, it won’t improve your resting heart rate; Henry VIII probably suffered from scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), because of his meat-heavy diet; and even Arnie and the might of molecule-changing science behind him hasn’t been able to maintain his ‘perfect’ body into old age.
“The other thing often overlooked is that, from an evolutionary perspective, we absolutely wouldn’t want everybody to be the same,” concludes Professor Thompson. “If we were all identical in shape and size, and a new challenge was to come along, then we couldn’t adapt to it. With a variation, however, there will be some people who will be much more likely to survive. We want to have lots of different body types and sizes, to allow the population to flex, adapt and respond to changes in the environment.”