Leon Battista Alberti: Master Builder of the Italian RenaissanceA lucid biographical study of a key figure of European culture Leon Battista Alberti (1404 72) was one of the most original, creative, and exciting figures of the Italian Renaissance. He wrote the first modern treatise on painting, the first modern manual of classical architecture, and a powerful set of "dialogues" about the princely families that dominated his home city of Florence. He rediscovered the forgotten aesthetics of classical architecture