DescriptionIf there is an author in the history of the Italian Quattrocento that truly tried to theorize in his writings the multiple manifestations of “life” by synthesizing and refining the complexity of its themes, this is by all means Giovanni Gioviano Pontano. In true light of the humanistic atmosphere of the time, where between life and art one must have chosen art, Pontano embraced art as the fundamental medium through which he could convey and articulate the object of his doctrinal meditations: life, where everything is connected and disposed harmoniously; life, where the active, moral and jovial participation of all individuals is essential to the establishment of society. Since Pontano was a proliferous writer that left behind an abundant production of poetical and philosophical masterpieces, the main objective of this dissertation is to identify which of his works are best suited to narrate his life in conjunction to his humanistic ideals. Leaving behind traditional methodologies, especially those echoing the influence of the Italian Romanticism, this dissertation emphasizes the importance to evaluate Pontano without relying so much on past literary criticism, because it can easily suggest that he was an ambiguous writer, a lascivious poet, a great teacher of morality and a man of profound religious believes: hence the confusion about his true identity and inspiring muse. From an attentive reading of Pontano’s texts, particularly the Charon, Antonius, Asinus, the Treatises on social virtues and various poems, purposely selected from his vast lyrical collections, it is possible to identify the artistic juxtaposition within the context of the society in which they were written, as well as the humanistic disposition of Pontano, whose attitude was not to embrace a single ideological interest, but to deeply treat and evaluate all fields of human understanding. Aware that individual wisdom was useless, Pontano spent his entire existence in sharing his doctrines with his contemporaneous; so much that among the members of his Academia it was customary to debate in which discipline he best shined. Would have Pontano not fully participated as a protagonist to all of the situations he so vibrantly and actively portrayed through art, the importance of his notions on life would have certainly gone unnoticed.