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In the Florence Cathedral, Florence, Italy, there is a cathedral church whose
octagonal dome, built without the aid of scaffolding, was considered the
greatest engineering feat of the early Renaissance. Dedicated to Santa Maria del
Fiore, Our Lady of the Flower, it is also known as the Duomo, after the Italian
word for cathedral.
Created by many great Early Modern artists, this piece of
architecture is a perfect example the Renaissance style. We can come to a better
understanding of why this is so by exploring what the characteristics of the
Renaissance “style”. To understand the properties of the Florence Cathedral that
fit the Early Modern style, I will begin with a description and its history. The
cathedral's architectural style, although greatly influenced by French Gothic
elements remained distinctively Florentine, especially the geometric patterns of
red, green, and white marble on the building's exterior.
Construction of the
cathedral began in 1294 on the site of a Christian church founded in the 6th or
7th century and continued until 1436. Several celebrated Italian architects were
involved in the project, including Giotto, Arnolfo di Cambio, Andrea Orcagna,
and, most notably, Filippo Brunelleschi, who was responsible for designing and
building the dome.
The cathedral's exterior is ornamented with sculpture and
mosaics by Italian artists Donatello, Nanni di Banco, and Domenico Ghirlandaio,
among others. The building's stained-glass windows are the work of the Italian
architect and artist Lorenzo Ghiberti, and the interior is decorated with
sculpture and fresco paintings by several Renaissance masters. Construction of
the campanile (bell tower), situated to the right of the entrance to the Duomo,
was begun by Giotto and completed according to his plans in 1359, after his
death.
Nearly 278 ft high, the campanile is embellished with red, green, and
white marble panels of relief sculpture by Italian artists Andrea Pisano and
Luca della Robbia, and niches with sculpted figures by Donatello and other
masters. Facing the cathedral and campanile is a smaller, octagonal structure,
the Baptistery of San Giovanni, noted for its gilt-bronze doors, elaborately
worked in high relief by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti.
With that
background information about the cathedral, one question comes to mind: what is
it that makes the Renaissance style distinct? Renaissance Art is painting,
sculpture, and architecture produced in Europe in the historical period that has
been called the Early Modern period. Though the piece I selected is a piece of
architecture it has all the aforementioned forms of art, and the elements of the
Renaissance style encompasses all these forms.
The three main components of
Renaissance style are the following: a revival of the classical style originally
developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, an intensified concern with
non-religious life, and an interest in humanism and emphasis on the importance
of the individual.
The Renaissance period in art history corresponds to the
beginning of the great Western age of discovery and exploration, when a general
desire developed to examine all aspects of nature and the world. This greatly
influenced the art that was produced during this period. During the Renaissance,
artists were no longer regarded as mere artisans, as they had been in the
medieval past, but for the first time emerged as independent personalities,
comparable to poets and writers.
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