Painting contains a divine force which... makes the dead seem almost alive.
Leon Battista AlbertiRead
Beauty is the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Beauty is the harmonious arrangement of elements that cannot be altered without losing its essence.
This quote by Leon Battista Alberti emphasizes the importance of proportion and harmony in defining beauty. It suggests that beauty arises from a perfect balance of parts, where each element contributes to the overall aesthetic, and any alteration would disrupt this delicate equilibrium, demonstrating how interconnectedness plays a crucial role in artistic creation and appreciation.
Themes
BeautyHarmonyProportionArtAesthetics
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a discussion on the principles of design in an art class.
More from Leon Battista Alberti
All quotes βI certainly consider a great appreciation of painting to be the best indication of a most perfect mind.
Leon Battista AlbertiRead
Similar quotes
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
John KeatsRead
A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.
MichelangeloRead
The sacred sense of beyond, of timelessness, of a world which had an eternal value and the substance of which was divine had been given back to me today by this friend of mine who taught me dancing.
Hermann HesseRead
Do I feel that white directors have to tell only white stories? No. Do I feel that black filmmakers should only tell stories about black people? No. If we say that, then that means Asian people cannot write about anybody but Asians. I don't think a woman should only write about women.
Octavia SpencerRead
Let me fall out of the window/ With confetti in my hair
Tom WaitsRead
The photo is a thing in itself. And that's what still photography is all about.
Garry WinograndRead