Florence in Italy is home to some of Brunelleschi’s most famed works,
making use of the machines that he himself invented to tackle architectural and
engineering problems.
A Short history of the life of Brunelleschi
Born in 1377 in Florence, Italy, and the 2nd of 3 sons, Filippo
Brunelleschi was a notary’s son who showed an appreciation for goldsmithing.
This interest would stand him in good stead throughout his life. He is thought
to be a founding father of Renaissance architecture.
He is famous for his design of the Florence Cathedral dome, an
extraordinary feat of engineering. He and his friend Donatello then ventured to
Rome, spending a decade in the city and exploring the architecture.
The Competitive Spirit of Brunelleschi
Antonio Manetti, his first biographer, describes Brunelleschi as an
amiable person with a great sense of humour but there are other more
unflattering descriptions of him such as cantankerous, volatile and unkempt.
It was in 1401 that Brunelleschi entered a competition. He was one of
7 participants in the prestigious competition. They were looking to choose an
artist to design a new set of bronze doors for Florence’s Baptistery. The
ultimate winner wasn’t Brunelleschi but Lorenzo Ghiberti, who went on to create
another set of doors.
The Linear Perspective
Disappointed at losing the competition and losing a baptistery
commission, Brunelleschi turned his interests to architecture but still
continuing to sculpt Early in his architectural career he became more
interested in the principles of linear perspective. This linear perspective
concept spread throughout Italy and Western Europe.
Success with the 2nd Competition
The versatile architect is known for his most famous masterpiece – the
Dome of the Florence Cathedral. It had been under construction for over 100
years, but architects were wanting to know how to build a dome over its wide
apse. Another competition was held and Ghiberti and Brunelleschi were
participants, with Brunelleschi winning.
The job took up much of his life – about 16 years – and is the biggest masonry dome in the world. He was also known for building military fortifications in cities such as Pisa, Castellina and Rimini. He also created a hoist-like mechanism which was useful for helping with stage theatrical religious performances in Florentine churches.
Superb Skills – some Unverified
Brunelleschi died in Florence on April 15, 1446, being remembered for
all his contributions to Renaissance architecture. His body is entombed in the
Duomo with a fairly long inscription on his grave.
Brunelleschi’s role as architect of residential buildings isn’t
altogether clear and there is no documentary evidence existing for the palaces
with which biographers have credited him, such as the Pitti Palace. True, the
palaces have some novel features that one would assume are attributed to
Brunelleschi’s inventiveness, but unfortunately, no real proof of his influence
has been offered.
Masaccio was born on December 21, 1401, just outside Florence.
Throughout his life, he was called Tommaso Cassai. He is considered the first
great painter from Italy of the Italian Renaissance. Giorgio Vasari, who coined
the name Masaccio, regards him as the best painter of his period because of
Masaccio skill at imitating nature and recreating lifelike figures plus
movements and also a great sense of three-dimensionality.
Masaccio
Life – Early Childhood and Education
Masaccio was born to Jacopa di Martinozzo and Giovanni di Simone
Cassai. His mother was the daughter of Barberino di Mugello’s innkeeper and his
father a notary. In 1406, his father died when he was just 5 years old.
There’s no evidence for his artistic education; however, painters of
the Renaissance traditionally started an apprenticeship with a master who is
established when they were about 12 years old. It is likely that Masaccio had
to relocate to Florence city to receive his training. However, he wasn’t
documented in Florence until on 7 January 1422, when Masaccio joined the
painters guild as an independent master.
Masaccio’s
Work – People Who Influenced His Work
Masaccio transformed the direction of painting from Italy; he moved
away from the elaborate Gothic ornamentations still present in Madonna with
Saint Anne, which is his earliest known work currently at the Florence-based
Uffizi Galleries.
The exceptionally individual nature of his style owed very little to
other painters of his period, except possibly the great fourteenth-century
master Giotto. Masaccio was more greatly influenced by the sculptor Donatello,
the architect Brunelleschi and his Florentine contemporaries.
He derived his classical art knowledge from Donatello, and from
Brunelleschi, Masaccio acquired knowledge of mathematical proportion, which was
crucial to the painter’s revival of scientific perspective. Masaccio, together
with Donatello and Donatello, was the founder of the Renaissance.
Masaccio’s
Death – The Old Master Who Tragically Died Young
Masaccio died in 1428 in Rome. An unconfirmed report talks of death by
poisoning and others think that his painting career was most likely cut short
by a plague.
He influenced many artists while he was still alive and posthumously. Masaccio’s influence is especially notable in the great works of minor masters from Florence, like Giovanni dal Ponte, Andrea di Giusto and others who tried replicating his glowing, lifelike forms.
Leonardo Da Vinci was a polymath of the Renaissance from Italy. His area of interest included cartography, history, writing, botany, astronomy, geology, anatomy, literature, engineering, mathematics, music, science, architecture, sculpting, painting, drawing and invention. Leonardo has been variously referred to as the father of architecture, ichnology and palaeontology and is widely regarded as one of the best painters of all time.
Leonardo’s
Early Life
Leonardo Da Vinci was born in 1452 in the Tuscan, Vinci hill town, in
the lower valley of the 241-kilometre Arno river, which is in the Medici-ruled
Florence Florentine territory. Leonardo was born out-of-wedlock, and his father
was a wealthy Florentine legal notary. Leonardo didn’t have a surname —”da
Vinci” means of Vinci, his father’s name.
Leonardo spent his early 5 years in the Anchiano hamlet, in his
mother’s home. From 1457, he lived in the home of his uncle, grandparents and
father in the town of Vinci. He received an informal education, specifically in
mathematics, geometry and Latin. With a keen intellect and a curious mind,
Leonardo studied the laws of nature and science, which informed his work.
Leonardo’s
Paintings – Artistic Abilities
Despite the recent awareness plus the admiration of Da Vinci as an inventor and scientist, for the most part of 400 years, his fame mainly rested on what he achieved as a painter. Few works by Leonardo that are attributed or authenticated to him have been considered as among the greatest masterpieces. The most famous works by Leonardo include the “Mona Lisa”, “The Last Supper” and the “Vitruvian Man”. They are famous for various qualities that have been copied by many students and also connoisseurs and critics have discussed them at great length. By the 1490s, Da Vinci had already been named the “Divine” painter.
Painting
Techniques – Sfumato and Chiaroscuro
Leonardo is popular for his pioneering use of 2 painting techniques:
Sfumato, which is a technique whereby subtle gradations, instead of strict
borders, infuse pictures with a softer and smoky aura. The other technique is
Chiaroscuro, which is a contrast between light and dark that gave Leonardo
figures 3D. Leonardo’s “Virgin of the Rocks”, which he started executing in
1483, is a perfect example of these two techniques.
Final
Years – The Most Versatile Legend
Leonardo died on 2 May 1519. In his last days, Da Vinci sent for a priest so that he could make his confession and receive the Holy Sacrament. Sixty beggars followed Da Vinci’s casket in accordance with his will. Leonardo’s body of work and ideas have influenced many artists and made him a prominent and influential artist of the Italian Renaissance.
