Four Books on Human Proportion

...instruction is given and becomes a habit, it becomes subsequently easier to create every figure even without such measurement. So that this instruction of mine might be better understood, I have previously published a book on measurement Dürer refers to his Underweysung der Messung (Instruction in Measurement), published in 1525, which provided the geometric foundation for his work on human proportions., specifically concerning lines, planes, and solids original: "corporē," a Latin abbreviation for corpore or three-dimensional bodies., without which this present teaching cannot be fundamentally understood. Therefore, it is necessary for anyone who intends to undertake this art to first be well-instructed in measurement and gain an understanding of how all things should be laid out in a ground plan and raised up in elevation Dürer uses terms familiar to the building trades: in grund gelegt (ground plan) and auffgezogen (elevation)., just as skillful stonemasons Craftsmen who cut and shaped stone; in Dürer’s time, they were the keepers of practical geometry. do in their daily practice; for without this, he will not be able to fully comprehend my instruction.

No one should allow themselves to be discouraged if they do not understand everything immediately; for what is entirely easy cannot be very artistic. But that which is artistic requires diligence, effort, and work until it may be mastered and learned. It is truly a wasted effort when much toil and diligence are spent on a false thing; however, if it possesses its correct proportions, it can be criticized by no one, even if it is made quite simply. In this instruction of mine, I intend to write only about the outer lines of forms and figures, and how these should be drawn from point to point, but not at all about internal matters Dürer is explaining that his book focuses on "surface anatomy" and geometric proportion rather than internal organs or medical anatomy..

Now, regarding how old this art is, who first invented it, and in what esteem and dignity it was held among the Greeks and Romans—as well as how a good painter or craftsman should be skilled—it is unnecessary to write of that here. However, whoever desires to have such knowledge should read Pliny and Vitruvius Dürer points the reader toward classical authorities: Pliny the Elder, who wrote on the history of art, and Vitruvius, the Roman architect whose work defined the "perfect" proportions of man., and they will receive sufficient instruction regarding those matters.

However, so that these books of mine might find a protector against slander, and so that I might also demonstrate my favorable will toward your Lordship—out of the manifold dear friendship and goodness you have shown me over a long time and in many ways—I have dedicated them to your Lordship original: "ewr herrligkeit," a formal honorific meaning "Your Lordship" or "Your Glory.". This I do with a spirit that I cannot otherwise demonstrate through my work, with the request that you will interpret this undertaking of mine in the best possible light and, as you have always done, remain my favorable Lord and patron. In this I shall place my full trust, and I will be diligent to deserve it as best I can.

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