Renaissance Art and Architecture: Florence Cathedral & More
The Renaissance: Definition, Characteristics, and Chronology
The Renaissance is the cultural movement that originated in Italy during the early modern age. It aimed to restore the principles of classical antiquity through humanism, updating them without renouncing the Christian tradition.
The causes of the Renaissance include:
- The economic and social development of the main Italian cities, along with the emergence of patronage.
- The survival of elements of classical art that influenced even medieval Italian art.
Chronology:
- Fifteenth Century (Quattrocento): The main artistic center was Florence. This century focused on experimentation, theoretical concerns, and the desire to recover classical antiquity.
- Sixteenth Century (Cinquecento): Rome became the new center of art. The Renaissance reached its peak.
The Architecture of the Quattrocento
General Characteristics:
- Rebirth and return to the use of classical decorative building elements.
- Decorative elements blend various kingdoms of nature, creating fantastic beings and monstrous plant structures.
- Emphasis on calculated and mathematical perfection, seeking spatial unity.
- The wall returns to its tectonic feature, which was missing in Gothic architecture.
- Prioritizes the use of simple forms.
- Recovers the classical orders.
- In churches, merges the centralized plan and the basilica plan to better suit liturgical needs.
- Urban palaces, villas, and fortified mansions are also built.
The main architects of the Quattrocento were Filippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battista Alberti.
Filippo Brunelleschi:
Dome of Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore)
- Architect: Filippo Brunelleschi
- Timeline: 1418-1446
- Location: Florence
- Style: Renaissance
- Materials: Brick, stone, marble
- Building Type: Religious architecture
Analysis: This is considered the first major architectural work of the Renaissance. It was built between 1418 and 1466 using materials such as stone, brick, and marble.
Exterior: Presents a singularly slender ogival profile achieved by Brunelleschi through the curvature of the eight white marble ribs.
Interior: It was built without the use of formwork or scaffolding from the ground. To make it lighter, it was conceived as a double dome with an empty space between the two.
Basilica of St. Lawrence
- Architect: Filippo Brunelleschi
- Timeline: 1421-1470
- Location: Florence
- Style: Renaissance
- Materials: Brick, stone, marble
- Building Type: Religious architecture
Analysis: Commissioned by Cosimo de Medici, it abandons medieval forms and embraces classical decorative building elements. The space is structured based on a longitudinal plan, conceived as a set of independent blocks, with the higher elements being multiples of the smaller ones. The roof of the nave is lintel and decorated with Roman coffers, while the aisles are vaulted. Arcades divide the space into three naves, using columns surmounted by composite capitals, pilasters, arches, and moldings on the roof of the nave.