My Kid Could Paint That

Brunelleschi, Pazzi Chapel, 1460?

Brunelleschi, as an artist, ostensibly lost perspective. A perpetual number two to Ghiberti, his relief and painting work was also often overlooked in favor of other people's work. But, in the world of architecture, he was almost unrivaled in his brilliance. From the beautifully austere exteriors of his buildings (see: Pazzi Chapel), to their placement and humanist features, the architectural work of Brunelleschi trumps any of his other work, putting him in a building league all his own.

Michael Baxandall, a noted art historian, notes that Brunelleschi was a "rediscoverer" of perspective as an artistic positioning tool. His use of perspective in all of his different mediums showed him to be a special breed of academian, one that could take his pitfalls as a painter and fix them in his sculpture or his architecture. The somewhat rudimentary implementation of perspective in his paintings became wonderfully symmetrical architecture. The weird and uncouth dimensions on some of his figures would beget the sleek lines and perfect proportions of buildings like the Pazzi Chapel. Moreso than his greatest rival Ghiberti, Brunelleschi was a true renaissance man.

Brunelleschi, Florence Cathedral, 1418

Florence decided it needed a large cathedral, not to rival Rome, of course, who would do such a thing? Merely, to have a place in which its citizens could worship. It just so happened that the cathedral they were building required a dome with a 143 feet diameter and if it happened to be larger than the Pantheon, well, whose coming to Florence anyway? The only problem was no man was brave enough to complete the task without fear of his plan collapsing. So in 1418 a competition was held to decide who would put their name on the line to create one of the most monumental features in all of Florence. The winner was a cocky, irritable clock maker named Filippo Brunelleschi, whose arrogance was matched only by his skill.

Brunelleschi’s idea was to create a dome with an octagonal lantern with eight flying buttresses and eight arched windows. Brunelleschi invented numerous devices to even begin the construction, which involved hoisting over 70 million pounds of material hundreds of feet in the air. The most common way of building a dome in the 1400s was to support is with scaffolding called “centing,” but because of the large, open area inside the cathedral, the citizens wanted something large and noticeable. There was not enough wood in all of Northern Italy to build scaffolding large enough to support the dome the Florentines wanted. So, Brunelleschi decided to create a dome that supported itself as it was built. The dome would occupy most of Brunelleschi’s life, but also serve as his proudest achievement.

Filippo Brunelleschi and apprentices, Santo Spirito di Firenze, 1487

Filippo Brunelleschi began designs for the Santo Spirito in 1428 over the ruins of an Augustinian priory destroyed on the same site. After his death in 1446, his plans were carried forth by his apprentices/buddies Antonio Manetti, Giovanni da Gaiole, and Salvi d'Andrea - with d'Andrea responsible for the gorgeous inner facade. Unfortunately, Brunelleschi's outer facade was left completely blank, never to be completed. Brunelleschi used a Latin Cross plan to use as much of the space as he could. Here, he was able to utilize this plan to its full potential, opening up the space much farther than he did when using the same plan in the Basilica of San Lorenzo. Within S. Lorenzo, he was forced to change his plans into a much less intricate form of his goals.

The wonderful thing about this building is that Brunelleschi's true plans were allowed to take form, rather than having to adopt a less creative composition like his plans for the S. Lorenzo. Everything about the structure, especially within it, celebrates faith and worldly life. There are 38 side chapels, each featuring work from talented artists of the period, almost all originals. The most significant is the Bini-Capponi Chapel, which houses the St. Monica Establishing the Rule of the Augustinian Nuns painting by Francesco Botticini. Fra Filippo Lippi's frescoes lie in the transept chapels. One of the only replicated pieces is a copy of Michelangelo's Pietà by Nanni di Baccio Bigio. Oh, if I could put more than one picture in this post, I would fill the page with these frescoes. Each piece has the beginning elements of the Humanist movement, the people within them actually seeming lifelike, celebrating the human form.

This Basilica opens the viewers' eyes, its marble pillars drawing the gaze upward to the angelic ceilings. Exemplary of the Middle Ages, this structure serves a religious function by lifting the mind to God... and, of course, the whole Basilica part. The entire building has such geometric precision to it, with each vestibule, chapel, and pillar put exactly where it should be. The sacristy itself is octagonal and features a devotional painting of Alessandro Allori's St. Fiacre Curing the Sick, commissioned by Grand Duke Ferdinando de Medici's wife, Christine of Lorraine. 

Though Brunelleschi wasn't there to see the completion of his grand piece, his apprentices followed his plans through and through, except for the outer facade. That part he'll have to writhe in his grave for, as there were never any plans to complete it. But other than that, Brunelleschi created a piece fully his own design and didn't have to make compromises with his work; which truly shows when looking at the details put into each and every element of the bigger piece.