Leon Battista Alberti in Exile: Tracing the path to the First Modern Book on Painting
Dr. Peter Weller

The prodigy poet, playwright, architect, painter, and humanist savant Leon Battista Alberti emerged in 1435 with “De pictura” ['On Painting'], the modern era's earliest discourse on Western art, written in classical Latin by an ostensible practitioner of the craft. Alberti has captivated the art world from his own epoch to ours, and his dubious Florentine identity enables this allure. In this webinar, Dr. PeterWeller challenges the popular notion that “De pictura” - our first modern book on painting - is primarily the result of Alberti's return to Florence and his short exposure to its visual art. Weller argues that Rome, Padua, Bologna, and northern Europe – environs where Alberti studied, worked, and lived during exile – empowered his paramount intellectual-artistic gift.