Renaissance Masterpieces: Brunelleschi, Alberti, Ghiberti, Masaccio and Bramante

Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

The dome has a very elegant form achieved through the smart curvature of its eight white marble ribs (cusps). The ribs ascend and come together to give way to a stylized lantern designed by Brunelleschi.

The red-tiled dome rests on a drum of marble stone and is pierced by a circular window on each side, like an eye.

The success was so great that this element became a distinctive feature of Renaissance churches. The projecting dome that Saint Paul's (London) sister church wanted to achieve was never as beautiful. For five centuries, both Europe and America have produced solutions inspired by Brunelleschi.

Palazzo Rucellai, Leon Battista Alberti

The articulation of the facade is achieved by a innovative rhythm of vertical pilasters, which are coordinated with the rest of the architectural elements. The blocks of apartments, with different sizes and skillful gradation, and the reliefs on the pilasters, friezes, windows and doors prevent a feeling of monotony.

The exquisite sense of harmony and beauty in Alberti's vision made it possible for the facade to be very dense without feeling overloaded.

Second and Third Doors of the Baptistery, Piazza del Duomo, Florence

Ghiberti paid careful attention to the contributions of other sculptors: Donatello contributed the different depth of relief, Brunelleschi the vanishing point, and French goldsmiths the fine detail.

Over half a century, Ghiberti's exquisite attention to detail earned him the leading role in the Florentine artistic world. In his studio, a new generation of Florentine painters and sculptors was formed.

The Trinity, Masaccio, Santa Maria Novella, Florence

The fresco represents the triumph of death and the triumph over death. The Virgin shows her son and looks at the faithful, while Saint John stands on the right.

The figures standing on the sides are the donors, who commissioned the work. The mount represents the decomposition of Golgotha, representing death.

The Tempietto, San Pietro in Montorio, Bramante

Bramante was not only playing with mathematics but also with light. With this approach he generates an almost painterly interplay of light and shade between the shafts and columns, in contrast with the transparency of the balustrade.

It marks the transition from Florence to Rome, where we pass from classical forms to the Renaissance.