Answer :
Final answer:
The earliest artist known for developing a canon of proportions is Polykleitos, a 5th-century BCE Greek sculptor and art theorist. The correct answer is a. Polykleitos.
Explanation:
One of the earliest artists to be credited with the derivation of a canon of proportions is Polykleitos. Polykleitos was a renowned Greek sculptor and art theorist from the 5th century BCE. He is best known for developing a set of mathematical rules for sculpting the human form, which he articulated in his work known as the Canon.
This work is famously exemplified in his statue, the Doryphoros (Spear Bearer), which demonstrates his principles of the ideal, aesthetic body based on mathematical proportions and Classical conventions such as contrapposto.
The concept of canon, being a rule or standard of beauty for artists, was not unique to the Greeks, as it also appeared in ancient Egyptian art. However, Polykleitos's adaptation focused on the symmetry and proportion of body parts to each other to create the ideal male form.
The influence of his canon of proportions extended beyond his own era and influenced later artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance with the creation of the Vitruvian Man.
