Antonio Natali argues beauty requires education and content

Antonio Natali, former director of the Uffizi (2006-2015), critiques the cliché that beauty will save the world, arguing that true beauty in art requires education and cultural familiarity. He recalls a 2011 conference organized by the Cortile dei Gentili, where he challenged clergy about the lack of aesthetic and conceptual quality in contemporary church altar works, contrasting them with historically commissioned pieces by educated patrons. Natali uses Pontormo's 'Deposition' in Santa Felicita, Florence, as an example: its beauty deepens when one understands its theological meaning—Christ's body lowered onto the altar as Eucharistic bread, following Augustine's exegesis. The article was published in Grandi Mostre #14. Natali emphasizes that beauty unites form and content, elevating the spirit.