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The Man in the Circle
from Mirage 2016
27 THE MAN IN THE CIRCLE Pamela Lee
Vitruvius was an architect, First century BC. For him Man was the model For Perfection and Proportion; Thus, temples should reflect that Scale.
The circle is a perfect geometric form, A symbol for sky and heaven, for God. When Vitruvius puts his striding man inside, Man ’ s navel is the center, A reminder of Creation.
The square is the other perfect form And stands for Earth and groundedness. When Leonardo stands his Man in the Square, The Center becomes Man ’ s sex, Suggesting PROcreation.
Davinci’ s Man Inside a Circle Inside a Square Combines the two ideas: Man the Created and the Creator.
Vitruvian Man On the Euro coin Signifying Italy, As a logo for Health, As an image for NASA In the movie “Contact, ” Has a rebirth as RECreation.
Etched in gold and Launched into space (With our planets on the obverse) This was the symbol meant to say To other Intelligent Life in the Universe, “We are here. ”
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