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Body proportions - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaPlease read:An urgent appeal fromWikipedia founder Jimmy Wales$3.5M to go$12.5M (USD) raisedBody proportionsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search

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Vitruvian Man, by Leonardo da Vinci.Madonna with the Long Neck, by Parmigianino. As in other Mannerist works, theproportions of the body - here the neck - are exaggerated for artisticeffect.While there is significant variation in anatomical proportions betweenpeople, there are many references to body proportions that are intended to becanonical, either in art, measurement, or medicine.In measurement, body proportions are often used to relate two or moremeasurements based on the body. A cubit, for instance, is supposed to be sixpalms. While convenient, these ratios may not reflect the physiognomic variationof the individuals using them.Similarly, in art, body proportions are the study of relation of human or animal

body parts to each other and to the whole. These ratios are used in veristicdepictions of the figure, and also become part of an aesthetic canon within aculture.

Contents [hide]1 Body2 Head3 Bibliography4 See also5 References6 External links

[edit] BodySome common proportional relationships for humans in European art are:The average adult human figure is about 7 to 7.5 heads tall.The idealized human figure is traditionally[who?] represented as being 8 heads

tall:

From the top of the head to the chinfrom previous position to the nipplesfrom previous position to the navelfrom previous position to the crotchfrom previous position to mid-thighfrom previous position to just below the kneesfrom previous position to the middle of the shinbone (the tibia)

from previous position to the feetThe pubis, or its upper edge, is at mid-height of the average adult figure.The length of the shin is equal to the length of the hip for an average adultfigure.When the body stands upright, the length of the arm is such that the fingertips come down to mid-thigh.The arms' wingspan (measured from the tips of the middle fingers) is commonlyjust over 1 times the body height.[1]The length of the foot is about equal to the length of the forearm.

[edit] Head

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Human head proportionsThe eyes are at the mid-height of the head.The head also can be divided into thirds - from the top of the head to thebottom of the forehead, from the bottom of the forehead to the bottom of thenose, and then from there to the bottom of the chin.The head is between four and five eyes wide.The nose is the length of the first two notches (joints) of the indexfinger(from tip) when measured against the very beginning of the nose bridgeto the end of the nose.The nose is of equal length to the eyebrow.The height of the face is about equal to the length of the hand.The eyes are separated by a distance of one eye width.The bottom of the nose to the corner of the eye is equal to the height of theear, to record a frontal portraitThe width of the base of the nose is equal to the width of the eye.The width of the mouth is equal to the distance between pupils, or the widthof two eyes.The length of the foot is equal to the length of the face from the chin to the

hairline.

These ratios may not always reflect the actual shape of the model's body, ifthere is a model. In other cultures, different ratios may be emphasized fordifferent aesthetic effect.In ancient Greek sculpture, the male figure is traditionally shown seven "heads"

tall, with the torso (clavicles to iliac crest), thigh (iliac crest to knee) andshin (knee to sole) each accounting for the height of two "heads", albeit the"head" is considered as including the height of neck. This produces proportionsthat show the head smaller and the legs longer than reality.[2][edit] BibliographyGottfried Bammes: Studien zur Gestalt des Menschen. Verlag Otto Maier GmbH,Ravensburg 1990, ISBN 3-473-48341-9.

[edit] See alsoThe Kanon of PolykleitosVitruvian ManBody shape

Female body shapePhysical attractivenessGolden Ratio

[edit] References^ Size of a Human: Body Proportions, The Physics Factbook^ "Universal Leonardo: Leonardo Da Vinci Online Essays." Universal Leonardo:Leonardo Da Vinci Online Welcome to Universal Leonardo. Web. 22 Apr. 2010..

[edit] External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to: Le Corbusier

Proportional Systems in the architecture of Le CorbusierRetrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_proportions"Categories: Anatomy | Artistic techniquesHidden categories: Articles lacking sources from November 2007 | All articleslacking sources | All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases |Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from October 2009Personal toolsLog in / create account NamespacesArticle Discussion VariantsViewsRead Edit View history ActionsSearch

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