Humanist ideals were also expressed
by sculptors and painters, who
achieved lifelike modeling of form.
The development of linear perspective
led to an awareness of spatial
volume. Order and geometry became
the bases of design. Leon Battista
Alberti (1404–1474) wrote influential
treatises based on the teachings of
antiquity, and defined beauty as a
harmony of parts. In his ten books
on architecture, De re aedificatoria,
Alberti restated Pliny the Younger’s
theories on villa design: hillside elevations
should be exploited for views, air,
and sunlight.14