When I first got trough my book, the immediate impression It gave me was that image and text alternated with a rhythm that wasn’t benign. Actually, De Rae Aedificatoria, wasn’t made for experts, so the writer would definitely want to keep the reader awake with illustration that are each beautiful, yet precise depiction of the last paragraph text. Thus, the rhythm of the alternance text-image is in my opinion of great importance concerning the didactic of the book. Secondly, as I’ve mentioned before, description of the key concept, both textually and visually are made with great accuracy but without any excess of realism, which allows the reader to keep focused on the essential parts of the drawing. Lastly, there would be no one to read the book if it’s last purpose wasn’t to serve beauty. That’s why all pictures are drawn with such delicate attention: by pleasing the eye so easily there is actually no need of an in-depth explication to acknowledge the power of such theoretical writings. I would say that Rythm, precision and beauty are the keywords to determine what a great didactic book should be. We could also try to establish a parallel to the vitruvian principle by linking the precision to Utilitas, the rhythm to Firmitas and the last one to Venustas, and so state that architecture in itself is a way to learn educate people trough buildings.
But precision, rhythm and beauty aren’t the only attribute of what is, I believe, a great didactic book. Going more in-depth in the observation of the book, it seems that Alberti tries to educate the reader on the most basical art of construction which are geometry, physics, the city fortification and the five orders, providing to any reader the keys to understand the architecture of this time. To me, it seems that with this book, Alberti’s trying to build a sort of atlas of architecture, so as Vitruve did with his ten books on architecutre. Documenting all common techniques to architecture, Alberti is actually walking in the ancient footstep, and definitely try to create the most important didactic book on architecture of his era.
To end this short Text, we can state that the Book „L‘architecture et Art de bien bastir“ is, both in from and in substance is constructed on the key concept “Didactic”, with which comes words as “ rythm”, “precision”, “beauty”, but also “basical” and “Atlas”.
Lucas Tanner 20-941-027