How Did Flippo Brunelleschi Influence Architecture

Filippo Brunelleschi had an impact in the 1400’s with his works of architecture. He created many long lasting works that are still here today. His skill of mathematics and physics plus his revolutionary ideas is what sets him apart from other architectures in his time. The Dome of Florence Cathedral is an example of the qualities that Filippo Brunelleschi had. This dome is still here today and still structurally sound. This is not the only great piece of work that Filippo Brunelleschi did. Filippo Brunelleschi also had many other architectural achievements. Some of these include The Capella dei Pazzi. Brunelleschi life and experiences transformed Filippo Brunelleschi into the architecture that he became and every step of his life built him into being one of the greatest architectures of his time.

Filippo Brunelleschi was born to successful parents and in the beginning he wanted to be a sculpture. Filippo Brunelleschi later turned away from this and set his goals towards architecture. Having a strong background in mathematics helped him

do this as he created revolutionary pieces of equipment that would later help him design and build some of the largest pieces of work of his time. He is also responsible for starting a new era in architecture “ Filippo Brunelleschi created the transition in architecture from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance” (Adams 66). One of his greatest pieces of work and most notable was The Dome of Florence Cathedral.
“With a diameter of nearly 140 feet, the space of the cathedral’s octagon crossing was larger than any that had been spanned since the construction of the Pantheon in Rome” (Adams 66).
According to italianrenaissanceart.com the dome used over 4 million bricks to construct. This is another way to see just how large the dome is and how much thought and design went into it. For him to create such a large piece of work in his time era is astonishing. The lack of any other work of this size and magnitude in recent years means he had to pioneer new ways for this type of work to be done. This included new plans and new devices that would help him successfully achieve this goal. While he did have help some help with the work on the dome accounts are shady at best how much Ghiberti helped and how much Filippo Brunelleschi wanted him there. While a lot of architectural work and design went into this dome there was also a lot of religious symbols that were designed into the dome that signified the church during that time.
One design feature of the dome that showed the religious symbolism was the shape of the dome. The shape of the dome was not perfectly round or spherical. It was more cone shaped showing the Gothic theme during that time frame. While its not for certain if that is the symbolism he was looking for or just the design it should seem more than a coincidence that the dome turned out to conform to this shape. While this was one of Brunelleschi’s more significant works he had many others such as the Ospedale Degli Innocenti. This building is another architectural feat that showed Brunelleschi’s brilliance.
Filippo Brunelleschi was also responsible for the architectural brilliance of creating Ospedale Degli Innocenti translates to “hospital of the innocents”. According to Hornik
“The Ospedale degli Innocenti, one of the most famous buildings in Florence, demonstrates the hospitality toward orphaned children in fifteenth-century Italy. This foundling hospital is named in memory of “the Innocents,” the children of Bethlehem massacred by King Herod when he had been tricked by the wise men (Matthew 2:16-18). It is on the not-to-be-missed list for tourists to Florence because the portico is one of the first works of Renaissance architecture” (Hornik 65).
The fact of what the hospital represented and the money that went into building it shows great respect for whom they chose to have the building be designed by. The building was such a strong symbolism for Christianity and humanity during this time era. Another point to be noted was not only what the building represented, but in the style that the building was created and decorated. This building was one of the first designs to begin the transformation from gothic style to the new renaissance aesthetic. An example of this is looking at more rounded objects than what was traditional. Instead of having square and pointy objects especially on the roofs the Ospedale degli Innocenti had more rounded objects including the pillars and archways that the pillars supported. What you was also seen from Brunelleschi while building this was his influence from visiting Rome and learning their structures and designs. For example “having horizontal entablature and projecting cornice that extends the length of the loggia, as well as the columns” shows the influence Rome had on Brunelleschi while he visited. While Filippo Brunelleschi architectural designs were transitional from the old style to the new it doesn’t completely show until his latter works. Its easy to fully understand this if you look at his beginning works compared to his early works. One of his later works that is significant and can represent and show the changes is Brunelleschi's The Church of San Lorenzo.
While The Church of San Lorenzo wasn’t completed until Brunelleschi’s death it still demonstrates his work and his designs. The Church still embraces the new style that came from Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi changed the architectural and art style. “Brunelleschi rejected the soaring verticals of Gothic and brought the experience of space down to a more human scale” (Adams 70). This can easily be seen in the Church of San Lorenzo as the sharp points and towering ceilings have been replaced by lower ceilings and more rounded objects. Also colors and material changed form the Gothic style as grey stone and white stucco is used. Looking at these three pieces of work it is easy to see what style influenced Brunelleschi during that time and its easy to see how he changed the norm of the artistic style to create a new Renaissance Aesthetic.
In the beginning Brunelleschi started his life with a different plan than being a architect.

He wanted to be a lawyer instead and follow in his fathers’ footprints. Along the way he path altered as he would go on to become one of the greatest architects of his time. He amazed individuals with the ability to create and organize different feats of art and architectural accomplishments. He stubbornly proved people wrong with his confidence and ability of himself to create new buildings that were far ahead of his time. He was able to do this because of his creativity and ingenuity for building and creating new inventions. Not only was he able to create new inventions he created new forms of art greatly influenced by his trip to Rome. He brought the art out of the Gothic are and into a whole new are with changes in designs, colors and spaces. Overall Brunelleschi Had a significant impact on art and architecture structures in his

life.