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Who was Brunelleschi? (1377-1446) Filippo Brunelleschi, a sculptor, architect/engineer and innovator, was born in Florence. He is famous for his architectural achievements and discoveries based on intense scrutiny of Roman monuments and ruins. Changing the face of architecture for future generations, he revitalized the discipline with his discovery of scientific perspective. Upon his death in 1446, he was buried under the great Cathedral of Florence, which he had designed.

Historical context: At its core the Renaissance was a shift away from God and onto man -- the birth of the humanist tradition. As the age progressed, artists were increasingly accepted into the company of the upper social class. The Medici, the leading banking family of Florence, fueled this social mobility with their patronage of the artists, including Brunelleschi. The Papal schism of 1417 created great social unrest, when two rival Popes laid title to the Papal throne. The Gutenberg press was soon to appear in the North (1455), making possible the mass production of literature.

Summary of Brunelleschi’s work. Initially, Brunelleschi’s father wanted him to study law and follow in his footsteps as a notary. However, he noticed that his son had a remarkably inquisitive mind and decided to nurture his potential for greatness. His father arranged for him to receive training as a goldsmith, and he became a master craftsman. However, Brunelleschi soon turned to sculpture.

He was a close friend of the great sculptor, Donatello, and in 1401-1402, the pair entered the widely-publicized design competition for the doors of the Florence Baptistry. Brunelleschi’s entry was a gold relief of Abraham and Isaac, but he lost the competition to Lorenzo Ghiberti.

This “failure” prompted Brunelleschi to turn to Architecture and he traveled to Rome to study the ancient ruins and monuments, It was during this early period that he perfected the Romanesque designs that were incorporated into his new style. The domes of the Parthenon (118-125) no doubt had an influence on his work.

Besides his architectural interests, Brunelleschi built clocks and worked with wheels, gears and weights. He had a mathematical mind and used it to discover and perfect the scientific perspective in architecture, with its precise calculations. He had a bold, analytical mind, always discarding the conventional if a better solution could be devised. He approached every problem with great energy and resolve. The classic example was his structural design for the dome of the Florence Cathedral. This was an amazing engineering feat and the structure possessed a style that would later inspire Michelangelo.

Brunelleschi won the commission In 1418, when a competition was announced for the design of the Dome. Brunelleschi won the competition, taking great pains to convince authorities that he was the man for the job. The Cathedral itself was originally designed by Arnolfo de Cambio (Gothic Architect, 1296) and was planned as a monumental landmark to dominate the entire city, It stands today as a symbol of strength and power. The Florence Cathedral (1420-1436 approx.) -- Brunelleschi’s most monumental architectural achievement -- brought him great prestige and fame in his own lifetime.

The most striking features are the great octagonal dome with its subsidiary half-domes – a motif of late Roman origin. There is nothing Gothic in its style. It is rather more influenced by Romanesque design. The dome, or cupola, is a display of impressive structural and artistic genius. The great Dome consists of two octagonal vaults; these two shells are cupped together one inside the other. The design is based on functionality, the great challenge being to design with structural integrity and innovation without horizontal supports. The effect is just as impressive on the outside as it is on the inside.

His other architectural commissions, left unfinished at his death, were completed by other architects. In The Church of San Lorenzo (1421-1469), commissioned by the Medici, the clearly defined separate space compartments represent a radical departure from the Gothic style prevalent in his day. Returning to an austere, geometric style similar to that of ancient Rome, Brunelleschi employed round arches and columns rather than piers. This created an overall mood of regularity, consistency, and harmony.

The Pazzi Chapel was commissioned to him by the wealthy Pazzi family between 1430 and1433, but he died leaving it still unfinished. This structure was based on ancient Roman ruins and monuments. The interior design is comprised of horizontals and verticals balanced for an overall harmony, greater than the sum of it parts,

Implications for subsequent history: Brunelleschi is known as the first great practitioner of “rational architecture”. Leone Battista Alberti’s “Treatise on Architecture” speaks of the Renaissance of classical forms based on mathematics and the greek philosopher Pythagoras. This revival was never expressed more radically, directly and simply than with Brunelleschi’s theory of balancing elements “in aharmoniuos”. His work produced an overall unity that is aesthetically pleasing because it coincides with the divine proportions provided in a kind of linguistic rule that had not been present in medieval architecture.

Brunelleschi was consumed with great ambition and wrestled with this difficult problem throughout his life, a life of remarkable achievement and astounding results. Vasari observed with respect to Brunelleschi’s character that “lumps of earth often conceal veins of gold.” Like Giotto he worked miracles and was sent from heaven to renew the art of architecture. Another epitaph was written in his honor by an admirer:

As stone upon stone, course upon course, endlessly I raised,
So pace by pace ascending higher, I returned to heaven. ⁽¹⁾

Brunelleschi is acknowledged as the founder of rational architecture, basing his theories on scientific perspective, geometry, proportion and harmony. Harmony, defined as the perfect relationship among parts in terms of mathematical proportions or ratios, is the source of all beauty, The Florence Cathedral exemplifies the laws according to which divine reason is said to have constructed the universe.

Biblical Analysis: A seemingly miraculous light floods the choir loft through the sacred windows and is perceived as the light divine -- mystic revelation of the Spirit of God. This mysticism set the stage for modern architecture and artists to pervert and distort Brunelleschi’s ideas, carrying them even farther from God, to a point where rationality becomes irrationality because not based upon God’s Word.

Reason apart from God and the sacred is nothing other than a form of man-made idolatry. To assign a divine mystical essence to “sacred space” is a dangerous habit, in which the structure itself is worshipped instead of pointing the worshipper to God. Modern New Age, pagan thinking, which today places a premium on “sacred space”, can be traced to the architecture of the Renaissance.

Corrective or Prescriptive Actions: All true architecture should first and foremost bring Glory to God and from that touchstone assign to the structure a rationality under the Word of God. To identify the structural artistry with God is dangerous because it fails to define God as he desires to be defined, New Age mysticism draws from this idea and perverts it.

Music In Brunelleschi’s Time: During the Renaissance music moved out of the church. Non-religious songs were written for instruments such as the lute, an instrument of eleven strings.

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