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Essay on Filippo Brunelleschi's Renaissance Projects
Introduction
Filippo Brunelleschi started his career as an apprentice goldsmith in Florence Italy and became a master goldsmith in 1398. He was destined to change architecture but his training as a professional goldsmith was considered appropriate in an era where it was necessary to have a trade to make a living. He was the son of a lawyer and was born in Florence, Italy in 1377. Despite his professional training as a goldsmith, he was to discover a passion for architecture, buildings and mathematics.
Although he had also tried sculpturing, there were more talented people for this art in Italy and Filippo then made several trips to Rome in order to study classical buildings, making influential friends including the distinguished sculptor Donatello, while working with clocks, wheels, gears and weights. His special interest in architecture and building design was the study of domes and Filippo formulated techniques for lifting construction materials into position and creating a self-supporting upper shell of domes which he incorporated into the noted buildings of his time. His special contribution to architecture was the development of a concept of linear perspective, showing depth on a flat surface. Amongst his noted works include the design for the dome of the Cathedral of Florence, where he is buried, the Ospedale degli Innocenti or the Foundling Hospital, Santa Maria degli Angeli (in 1436), the new type of Basilica Church at San Lorenzo and Santo Spirito etc. He also wrote a book called, Rules of Perspective, which was used as a text by many architects in the future.
The octagonal ribbed dome for the Cathedral in Florence is one of the most celebrated and original domical constructions in architectural history and Filippo’s designs exhibit beauty of detail and elegance, as well as mastery of construction which had a lasting impact on the architecture of the renaissance period....
