masonry and the construction of a double dome (an inner and outer shell) to
reduce the total weight. He also invented a lifting device that could hoist
tons of building materials to the great height needed. This work, together
with other projects, made Brunelleschi the most visible artist in Florence.
His fame, derived from the construction of the cathedral dome, has never
waned, and the cupola itself has become a symbol of the city.
Brunelleschi is believed to be the Renaissance inventor of linear perspective,
a method involving careful study of the mathematical principles of
architecture. Linear one-point perspective also radically altered painting
during the Renaissance. In addition to the cathedral dome’s success,
Brunelleschi succeeded in embodying the Humanism of Renaissance art in
his work at San Lorenzo and at the Pazzi
Chapel. Our example shows the exterior
of the Pazzi Chapel (begun in 1440), next
to the Franciscan Church of Santa Croce;
this was a chapter house for Santa Croce,
commissioned by the Pazzi family. The
Pazzi Chapel is noted for the geometric
clarity of its proportions, articulation of wall
surface, and luminous dome.
Our next illustration is the façade of
Brunelleschi’s San Lorenzo (c. 1422–1428),
the church of the Medici family. The façade
was never completed. The San Lorenzo
nave displays the serenity of an architecture
devised from a proportional system. Rationality is equated with Humanism.
This is the ¿ rst great Renaissance achievement in church architecture.
Pietra serena, a gray “serene stone,” was used to create a sense of peace in
the church.
We now turn to the work of Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472). His bronze
Self-Portrait (c. 1435) is signed with his initials on the right side. This was
probably made in Florence while Alberti was writing his ¿ rst important treatise,
“On Painting.” This is one of the earliest examples of realistic portraiture
in Florence. Note the relation to Roman pro¿ le portrait medals and the
Alberti’s Rucellai
Palace (c. late 1440s,
Florence) was built for
Giovanni Rucellai, a
Florentine merchant,
but it was never
¿ nished; only about
two-thirds of the
façade was realized.