Early Renaissance in Florence - Brunelleschi and Donatello

Referring back to what was mentioned in my Introduction to Renaissance post, a shift had taken place in Italy somewhere in the early fifteenth century. This change started in Florence by three men, one of which was Fillipo Brunelleschi (c. 1377 - 1446). Brunelleschi was considered god-sent, by his fellow Italians, making contributions left and right not only in art but in Architecture, engineering, optics and archeology. His most famous contribution to art was the principle of linear perspective as the principle of rational distribution of architectural element in space, known in italian as the Construzione Legittime("Legitimate Construction").
The aim of linear perspective is to create scientifically the illusion of reality in the sense of depth in space. The use of linear perspective makes it possible to get a three-dimensional appearance to any object, but more importantly the use of perspective creates the illusion that these objects actually occupy space either near or far from the observer. Brunelleschi forumlated this in a rule according to which all parallel lines going in the same direction into space meet at a common point on the horizon known as the vanishing point. Later on, when other artists realized that the use of only one vanishing point tends to give "an oversimplified effect," they began to experiment with two or three vanishing points within the same picture-space, and then even more vanishing points when striving for up or downhill effects. "Incidentally, the term "aerial perspective" does not mean a "bird's eye view" of a scene. It deals with the shades of objects as they recede into the distance; the further away from us an object is stationed, the less detail will be perceived and the more "bluish" and muted the object's color will appear to the naked eye."
Despite his experiment and success with perspective, fame did not show Brunelleschi the same acclaim as it did with Ghiberti. Brunelleschi was twenty-five when he lost the baptistery and soon afterward, himself and Donatello fled to Rome "where together they launched a frenzied study of any and all remnants of antiquity they could lay their hands on." Brunelleschi returned to Florence in 1407 and came back to find true success as an architect. Having studied classical roman architecture Brunelleschi "created a handful of beautiful buildings in Florence, a new style based on the thorough understanding of the principles of classical architecture..." Brunelleschi is considered to be the first to use modern architectural methods, making detailed plans and models for all stages of his buildings.



"The facade of Brunelleschi's Hospital of the Innocents served as a prototype for all similar renaissance structures." It is agreed that it is the first building in actual Renaissance Forms. Commissioned by Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, the first millionaire in the extraordinary Medici Family. Brunelleschi had maintained a close relationship with Giovanni and his family until the time of Giovanni's death in 1429, at this point it was now his son, Cosimo's turn to uphold the Medici name.

"Donatello shared with Brunelleschi the same beliefs in the importance of realism and the dignity of man and translated the architect's rules of perspective into his relief sculptures." Donatello, born Donato de' Bardi -donatello means "little donato." The same family that made Brunelleschi famous, Familia di Medici, did the same for Donatello. One of many triumphs in scultping -the David. The David is the first free standing figure since classical times and "the two most tradition-shattering aspects of the David are its interpretation of the king of Israel as a young greek god and its daring nakedness."
Humanism.
A sculted monument in Venice by Donatello, "Gattamelata," it is said to be the first Renaissance equestrian statue to be cast in bronze.

Donatello must have been influenced by the antique statue of Marcus Andrelius, artist unknown, also made in bronze :