Ghirlandaio's Adoration of the Magi

Alberti believed that art is similar to a bridge between nature and humans in the manner of understanding parts and whole together. The reason of this is to understand the real beauty and appreciate it. He explains his opinion by these words: “Beauty is a form of sympathy and consonance of the parts within a body, according to definite number, outline and position, as dictated by concinnitas, the absolute and fundamental rule of Nature.” (Page 8) 

For that manner, he sees art as a tool for reaching us and explain us what the beauty is and how it is created. Let’s take Ghirlandaio's Adoration of the Magi (1488) as an example.

Woman who sits in the middle of the crowd, probably Virgin Mary, is defined as the starting point for all other proportions and perspective.  People around her are turned to her and that creates a view of adoring and faith. The columns are positioned with a calculated angle in order to make a complete window. Positions of human parts and columns are explaining how the nature itself constructed in a perfect design. In the book “On Painting”, this idea is strongly related with the role of composition. Alberti believes the beauty of symmetrical images. In parallel to that idea, we can examine symmetric sides consist of different figures in the painting. The height of mountains are relatively close to each other, two animals (cow and donkey) are positioned beside Virgin Mary. 

In addition to that, understanding a painting and the message hidden under the images might be hard for everyone. He says: “Although this art alone is equally pleasing to both learned and unlearned; and it rarely happens in any other art that what pleases the knowledgeable also attracts the ignorant.” (Page 63) So, Alberti, a man who cares about education and learning, I believe uses other communication sources to guide both educated and ignorant people.

The man of the left side is directly looking at us and pointing Virgin Mary. This can be a message that may refer to show a starting point in order to understand and appreciate all figures in reality made by god. In the book “On Painting”, Alberti explains his motivations and knowledge on perspective. So, it wouldn’t be illogical to claim that he uses guides not only with words but also several figures in the painting itself.