Brunelleschi's Influence On The Renaissance

The Renaissance, often described as the rebirth of classical antiquity, took place from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century throughout Europe. Ancient Roman and Greek culture was rediscovered and many technological and artistic advancements were made. Humanism, an area of study designed with the goal of understanding human nature by studying Latin and Greek literature, was an idea associated with the Renaissance. During the fifteenth century, the printing press was developed, resulting in the spread of printed word, literacy, and new ideas. Simultaneously, many Italian cities’ trade increased dramatically. Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, was located along the Arno River, which made it a popular trading port. Florentine merchants
His father was Ser Brunellesco di Lippi, a Florentine administrative official. Brunelleschi received a standard education in the liberal arts and was expected to train for either theology, medicine, or law. However, his talent in the arts resulted in him becoming a journeyman in a silk-workers’ guild. He trained as a goldsmith there, and in 1401, he competed with six other men for the task of designing the second set of doors for the Baptistry of Florence. However, Brunelleschi ultimately lost to Lorenzo Ghiberti. Both of their sculptures depicted the sacrifice of Isaac, in which God commanded Abraham to kill his only son Isaac. In the end, however, an angel stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, and God gave mercy to Abraham and provided a ram for him to sacrifice. Brunelleschi’s sculpture depicts a more dramatic scene, in which the angel flies in the scene right when the knife is at Isaac’s throat and takes Abraham’s hand to prevent him from killing Isaac (Fig. 1).1 In Ghiberti’s sculpture, the angel flies in when Abraham’s hand is far away from Isaac’s neck (Fig. 2). However, Ghiberti’s sculpture was ultimately chosen because it provided more detail-- Abraham’s face displays an expression of doubt and reluctance over killing his only son, and Isaac is nude, representing his vulnerability.1 After losing to Ghiberti, Brunelleschi began to focus more on architecture by visiting Rome and studying the structure of old buildings. Later, in 1420, Brunelleschi formed the concept of linear perspective when he drew a sketch of the Church of Santo Spirito, one of his works, to display how the completed building would look. Linear perspective provided a more accurate representation of physical space and was used by many artists to further enhance their art,. Brunelleschi’s architecture was intended to create proportional, balanced structures. Many of the features he included in his