Popularly known as the father of Renaissance architecture, Brunelleschi was a key figure in the development of a characteristic renaissance style of architecture. This type of architecture is inspired by the crafts and design of Greek and Roman antiquity but instead of mimicking the tradition as it was, Renaissance architecture was simultaneously influenced by its preceding dominant style of architecture, the Gothic style, which majorly reflected a religious zeal and incorporated some entirely new elements, such as the world-centric themes and representation of the new discoveries being made across Europe.
Taking inspiration from the Greco-Roman sources of architecture and engineering, Brunelleschi heralded a new age in the progress of architecture, sculpture, and craftsmanship as a whole.
It was a style that was distinct from the contemporary Gothic style of art and reflected a change in people's perception of art and architecture in 15th century Florence, Italy, where Brunelleschi hailed from.
An Unknown Clockmaker, A Popular Sculptor
Initially, Brunelleschi began his long-spanning career of craftsmanship as a clockmaker and goldsmith with little to no renown. His apprenticeship at the silk merchants’ guild, Arte della Seta, enabled him to become a master sculptor and goldsmith at a young age. However, as he took part in a sculpting competition for the Florence Baptistery Doors and got tied for first place with another prominent sculptor, Lorenzo Ghiberti, he started branching out to other disciplines such as optics and architecture, which defined the latter part of his life. It was this competition though, that allowed him to gain renown as an expert craftsman and the patronage of the Medici family.
The Dome in Florence: A Timeless Wonder
While Brunelleschi might have completed numerous projects in his lifetime and contributed to a wide range of advancements in architecture, design, optics, engineering, and ship making, his greatest masterpiece undoubtedly remains to be the construction of the masonry dome of Santa Maria Del Fiore, whose symbolic importance during the time was paramount as it represented the core heritage and culture of the city of Florence. To take up this project, he once again had to compete with his former rival, Ghiberti. This time though, he won and took up the project.
Although it took a major part of his later life, Brunelleschi was able to complete it despite the base of the dome is an imperfect octagon, a staggering requirement since it was never done before, and a lack of a central support system. He countered these troubles by building two domes to support each other and using interlocking rings to hold together the brick arches that required 4 million bricks to construct!
He ingeniously utilized the mathematical and engineering concepts that he learned from his discovery of Greco-Roman antiques and used them to build new machines, such as the hoisting machine, for the sole purpose of Dome’s construction, thereby leading to progress in these other fields of study as well.
Therefore, while one can attribute a major portion of Brunelleschi’s achievements to the inspiration drawn from the Greco-Roman ruins that he thoroughly deciphered, it is imperative to acknowledge his role as a catalyst instead of a mediator between the two ages, the middle-ages or dark ages and the Early Renaissance. And as a catalyst, his originality reflects itself in numerous disciplines and fields of study.
