Canon (art)

A canon is a method in the visual arts according to which the dimensions of the proportions of the human body are related to one another as the basis of a unit of measurement . The Greek sculptor Polyklet is considered to be the founder of this method, and he also wrote a now-lost script called Canon . His statue of " Doryphoros ", which has only been preserved in copies, follows this canon as an example.

One of the most influential examples of a canon in European art is the theory of proportions of Vitruvius in the 1st century BC, as pillars order of representational architecture from the Renaissance to the 19th century canon ( "binding") was and to which for example the Vitruvian man of Leonardo da Vinci relates and the Modulor principle of Le Corbusier .

Traditional Chinese painting and Buddhist painting are also heavily canonized .

see also: Proportion theory , proportion key (architecture) , golden ratio

literature

• Ernst Berger , Brigitte Müller-Huber, Lukas Thommen : The artist's design. Sculpture canon in ancient and modern times. Antikenmuseum Basel and Ludwig Collection, Basel 1992, ISBN 3-905057-07-7 .