LEÓN BATTISTA ALBERTI: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

León Battista Alberti (1404-1472) was an Italian writer, artist, architect, painter and cryptographer. In addition, he excelled in the application of mathematics thanks to the education he received from his father since he was a child.

He was born in the Italian city of Genoa. From an early age he began to receive a series of knowledge that helped him to become what many consider to be the representation of the Renaissance man.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

The studies that he carried out in the field of literature allowed him to develop a series of texts that became a reference to be followed over time. Among them was the book En Pintura, which laid the foundations of the Renaissance style. Battista Alberti also became part of the papal court.

On the other hand, his decision to venture into architecture - a profession that he developed for at least 20 years - made him an example for other architects. He became one of the most prominent representatives of the Renaissance.

He died at 68 years of age and left a legacy that was followed by other of the most important artists of the time, such as Leonardo Da Vinci.

Biography

Early years

Battista Alberti was born on February 14, 1404 in the Italian city of Genoa. He belonged to a family that possessed significant purchasing power, due to the fact that his parents were banking and commercial professionals from Florence, Italy.

His father, Lorenzo Alberti, was in exile with his family in Florence, so the architect was born in a different region to which his parents belonged. They had been expelled by an oligarchic government.

Shortly after the child's birth, the family moved to Valencia, where Battista Alberti grew up. Both Alberti and his brother Carlo were illegitimate children of their father; however, they were the only offspring of man, which made them his only heirs.

There is little information related to the biological mother of Battista Alberti, but it is known that the father of the young men married a woman in 1408, who was his stepmother and helped them with their studies.

Educational process

The knowledge that his father had from his relationship with the financial world helped Battista Alberti to acquire important mathematical skills. Alberti's father was in charge of imparting to his children as much knowledge as possible, training them from a very young age.

His early relationship with mathematics gave the future architect a passion for numbers and for the practical application of mathematical principles.

Formally he received an education that leaned towards the humanist area. At around 10 years of age, the young man was sent to boarding school in Padua, where he received classical training. There he received education in literary matters; his handling of literature deeply enriched his humanist side.

Higher education

After completing his basic studies at school, Battista Alberti moved to start studying at the University of Bologna. Despite this, this educational process was not carried out with enthusiasm by Alberti, since his father had recently passed away and was burdened by various personal problems.

This did not prevent him from completing his studies at the Bologna institution, where he stayed for seven years of his life. In 1428 he received a doctorate in canon law; later he returned to his interest in literature.

Five years later, in 1432, he became the secretary of the Papal Chancellery in Rome, Italy, which offered support to various humanists. In addition, it had a commission that was in charge of rewriting the biographies of the saints and martyrs.

Throughout his life he played important roles related to the subject of religion and apparently remained celibate over the years.

Foray into literature

The studies that he carried out in humanistic matters provided Battista Alberti with the knowledge and literary culture necessary to be able to develop texts that transcended over time.

It is known that one of the first works he developed was a Latin comedy, which was perfected by the then writer when he was about 20 years old.

The literature of ancient Rome allowed him to expand his vision of the urban world. In his texts he applied his personal brand in terms of emotionality and intellect; however, he used the concept and ideas of classical intellectuals.

Return to florence

Years later, when Battista Alberti was approximately 30 years old, he was able to return to Florence together with the papal court of Eugene IV after the ban on his entry to the region was lifted. This happened after the restoration of the Medici family.

After having returned to the town where his parents belonged, Battista Alberti began to strengthen relationships with the sculptor Donatello and the architect Brunelleschi, which led him to systematize the painter's perspective. Both artists have gone down in history as two of the most influential Italian creators of their time.

Alberti's new knowledge allowed him to write the book En Pintura, in the year 1435.

Foray into architecture

When Battista Alberti passed the age of 30, the Leonello d'Este suggested that he turn to architecture. During his work as an architect, he made a major effort to bring classicism to life with the creation of a miniature triumphal arch in Ferrara. On this work he placed a statue of d'Este's father.

The arch was not the only work that the Leonese prompted Battista Alberti to carry out. He also did a restoration of a classical text by Vitruvius, who was an architect and architectural theorist.

Alberti did not abandon his interest in the classical with his work in architecture. During his work, he studied the practice of both architecture and engineering in ancient times. He maintained the apprenticeship when he went to Rome with the papal court in 1443.

Four years later, in 1447, Battista Alberti became the architectural advisor to Pope Nicolas V thanks to the significant amount of knowledge that he acquired over the years.

Dedication to architecture

Between the years 1450 and 1460, the work of architecture kept Battista Alberti busy. During this period he made multiple trips to Renaissance cities in Italy to nurture his knowledge of the profession.

In the last 20 years of his life, he carried out various architectural projects in several outstanding constructions, among which were the facades of Santa María Novella and that of El Palazzo Rucellai. The use of appropriate proportions and the sense of measure expressed in his work were distinctive in his works.

The architect's dedication to the trade allowed him to become an example to follow by being the main theorist of Renaissance architecture, as well as one of its most prominent representatives of this movement.

Death

León Battista Alberti died at the age of 68, on April 25, 1472, in Rome. So far the exact reasons for his death are unknown. However, by the time of his death a new artist began to take relevance: Leonardo Da Vinci, who by then was 20 years old.

Da Vinci followed Battista Alberti in various aspects of his work, including his conception of painting as a science.

Plays

Dialogues

Throughout his life, Battista Alberti wrote various dialogues on moral philosophy; the first of these was the Treatise on the Family. On it he based his ethical thinking and his literary style.

The texts were written in the vernacular so that the urban public who did not speak Latin could understand the document.

The dialogues provided advice for maintaining monetary stability, facing adversity and prosperity, the common good, and agriculture. He also dealt with personal issues such as friendship and family.

They handled a fresh language for the time in which it was written and published; its content was didactic. These texts addressed ideals of the ancient world ethics, so it sought to promote morality based on the ideal of work: virtue arises from effort, work and production.

The inclination of these dialogues for the work ethic had a notable impact on the urban society of the time both in central and northern Italy, which accepted the texts in a positive way.

In paint

Considered one of the most important books by Battista Alberti, En Pintura was written in the year 1435. In it the rules for drawing a three-dimensional scene on the two-dimensional plane represented on a flat surface such as paper or a wall were exposed for the first time.

The instructions in the book had an immediate effect on the painters of the time, especially those who made Italian paintings or worked with reliefs, which provided a basis for the Renaissance style.

The principles explained in the work In Painting are still a basis for drawing today.

Works on astronomy and geography

At one point in his life, Battista Alberti met the Florentine cosmographer Paolo Toscanelli, who became an important figure in astronomy, to the point of having been the one who gave the map to Christopher Columbus to guide him during his first trip.

By then the science of astronomy was closely linked to geometry, so the writer acquired important knowledge in these areas.

The information that he obtained over time allowed him to make important contributions. Among them, a treatise on geography that became the first work of this type since ancient times.

In it, he established topographic and cartographic rules to study a land area, specifically the city of Rome. This work was an important contribution to the science of the time; its influence is compared to what it was in Painting for drawing.

Critics consider that Battista Alberti's treatise was fundamental to generate the exact cartography methods, which allowed us to know with precision the representations of certain terrestrial areas from the late 15th century and the early 16th century.

Ten books on architecture

Thanks to the architect's relationship with the Pope, the first Roman projects for the Renaissance period arose, among which were the reconstruction of St. Peter's and the Vatican Palace.

Years later, in 1452, Alberti dedicated the Ten Books of Architecture to Nicholas V: a work that showed his studies on Vitruvius. The work gave it the title of "The Florentine Vitruvian" and it became a reference for the architecture of the time thanks to the advances in engineering it contained.

In addition, he developed an aesthetic theory based on the proportion and harmony of architectural works, thereby supporting the style of classicism.

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

One of his most challenging works was the realization of the design of the facade of the Basilica of Santa Maria de Novella. The challenge of the work lay mainly in the form of the construction: the lower level of the place had three doors and six Gothic niches in polychrome marble; plus, it had an eye sale on top.

Battista Alberti incorporated a classical design around the structure of the portico and included the proportions with works of pilasters, cornices and a pediment.

Alberti's work stood out especially for visually saving the levels of the central nave and the side corridors, which were on a lower level.

Basilica of Saint Andrew

Considered the most important work of Battista Alberti, the work on the Basilica of Saint Andrew, located in Mantua, began in 1471 (a year before the death of the architect). The use of a triumphal arch (both in its facade and in its interior) exerted a great influence on other constructions with the passage of time.

The architect's work focused on design, leaving the construction phase and supervision in the hands of veteran builders.

References

1. Leon Battista Alberti, Encyclopedia Britannica editors, (nd) Taken from britannica.com
2. Leon Battista Alberti, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
3. Leon Battista Alberti, Spanish Wikipedia Portal, (nd). Taken from es.wikipedia.org
4. Leon Battista Alberti biography, Portal The Famous People, (nd). Taken from thefamouspeople.com
5. Leon Battista Alberti, Famous Architects, (nd). Taken from famous-architects.org