The infinite variety of human movement
Why every action and attitude of the body admits infinite variation, and how effort reveals the muscles
A clean text page of the Treatise on Painting on the depiction of bodily movement. Leonardo argues that a single action, such as striking a blow, varies infinitely because motion happens in space, and space is a continuous quantity divisible without end. He adds that one same attitude also appears infinitely varied because it can be seen from infinitely many viewpoints. Two further chapters begin the subject of nudes, stating that the muscles must show more or less according to the effort of each limb.
On this page
Every human movement varies to infinity
The movements of a man in one same act are infinitely various in themselves. Leonardo proves it with the example of a blow, which is either the raising of the thing that must descend or the descending motion itself; either way the motion is made in space, space is a continuous quantity, and every continuous quantity is divisible to infinity. He concludes that every descending motion of a thing is variable without end.
One attitude seen from infinite viewpoints
One same attitude shows itself varied to infinity because it can be viewed from infinitely many places. Those places form a continuous quantity, and continuous quantity is divisible to infinity. Therefore every human action presents infinitely various aspects of itself to the eye.
Muscles show according to the effort of the limb
Turning to nudes, Leonardo states that the limbs must be more or less evident in the disclosure of their muscles according to the greater or lesser effort of each limb. A further chapter heading opens the subject of when the muscles of each limb are revealed or covered in the attitudes of animals, with the reminder to the painter continuing onto the next page.