It turns out that many medieval Europeans studied the human body to understand the universe. The body symbolized to them the way the solar system was organized, the way the constellations were formed and the way that the earth worked. Also the proportions of the human body inspired the best building proportions. This ideas was first written by a roman architect named vitruvius. Vitruvius also wrote about how the human body could fit inside a circle (circles represented perfection and completeness) as well as a square (squares representedthe world, the four cardinal directions, the four seasons and a few other things).
Leonardo Da Vinci was one who was fascinated with this idea. As an artist he studied the human body , but he also studied the human body to be a better architect. Leonardo drew a picture of Vitruvius's idea of man fitting inside a circle and a square. His drawing is super famous but few people know the ideas represented in it.
Toby Lester wrote about this subject in an incredibly interesting way. The book is also a good introduction to Leonardo Da Vinci. He talks about Italy in a way that makes you want to see the places he talks about. Many of the details of Leonardo's story are unknown and Toby Lester tries to complete the picture for the reader. Great book. I recommend reading it then after you read it try to spot remaining symbols of the human body in the world around you
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