In a time of rebirth and revival of classical thinking into something entirely new, Filippo Brunelleschi thrived as an inspirational architect. He combined Romanesque traditions, with the modern age Renaissance thinking to create a new and defined style of architecture. One of Brunelleschi’s most influential works, the Pazzi Chapel, clearly illustrated Roman influence on architecture during the Renaissance. The Pazzi Chapel’s overall design was influenced by Brunelleschi’s study of building designs in Rome, geometric engineering, and stylistic elements such as: columns, the importance of light, and arches. The great architect of the Renaissance would live on being known as the man who revived Roman style in architecture instead of continuing on with the traditional Gothic style.Filippo Brunelleschi gained much of his architectural signature from his studies in Rome. He already made a name for himself in Florence before he started working on a design for the Baptistery doors. “After Lorenzo Ghiberti had won the competition (1401) for the Baptistery doors,” Brunelleschi needed a change of pace, so “Donatello and Brunelleschi both left for Rome to study sculpture and architecture respectively” (Meek np). In retrospect, losing the bid for the doors was an important crossroads in Brunelleschi’s life because it led him to move to Rome for a period of time. This change exposed him first hand to the ancient Roman buildings and the specific architecture in their designs.An important facet of the Renaissance included “scholarly activity,” (Vandermast) and according to PBS, “Brunelleschi spent the next 10-years living rough in Rome […] studying the ruins of the great city” (“Filippo Brunelleschi” np). A decade is a long time to absorb…
…rove to my professor that Brunelleschi was undeniably influenced by Roman architecture and thereby earning an A!
Works Cited
Arch of Titus. N.d. Photograph. Art and CultureWeb. 12 Feb 2012. .Castex, Jean. Architecture Of Italy. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 5 Feb. 2012.”Colosseum.” Destination360. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Feb 2012.”Filippo Brunelleschi.” PBS. Web. 5 Feb 2012Meek, Harold. “Brunelleschi, Filippo.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Web. 5 Feb.Pazzi Chapel. N.d. Photograph. Look Up ArchitectureWeb. 12 Feb 2012. .


