On Painting

"Much of Alberti’s text is quite technical, but there are elements that are relevant to us today. It’s exciting to see the high regard painting was held in at the time at which he was writing. He has a deeply felt admiration for artists as creators and their intellectual freedom. He writes that nothing is so precious that with association with painting cannot be rendered far more valuable and highly prized. So, the painting of gold is more valuable than gold itself. “His alternation between these poetic passages in the text with technical advice is so memorable that you only need to read it once. ” With photography, there are iconic images that stand out and will be remembered from the thousands that we see almost every day. But when we’re looking at great painting, it often has a unique way of distilling and preserving emotion. Alberti also contends that painting not only speaks to the most highly educated but also to the least educated. His alternation between these poetic passages in the text with technical advice is so memorable that you only need to read it once. It stays with the reader for years to come. All the books aside from Carr were written by practicing artists, and all of them have an element of aspirational philosophy about them. These are not just ‘How-To’ books or books about lifestyle. They get to the heart of the challenges of making art."