Ar#st Context Building Context Visual Analysis loggia module that is based upon the ra#onality of classical

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2 Ar#st Context Brunelleschi was able to rediscover the system of linear perspec8ve due to his skills in architecture, and his study of the various geometric components of Roman monuments and architecture He turned to architecture a>er loosing the Bap8stery compe88on to Ghiber8 Travelled to Rome to study the architecture of the Roman past Building Context A civic commission sponsored by the guild of silk manufacturers and goldsmiths Home for the ci8es orphans The site chosen for the building was next to the church of San8ssima Annunziata a church which housed a miracle- working image of the annuncia8on The Madonna would now watch over the infants as well Visual Analysis First building to embody the new Renaissance architectural style The façade is is a loggia opening onto the street a sheltered por8co where parents could deliver unwanted children The arcade is a series of of round arches on very slender Corinthian columns Each bay has a pediment- capped window above The building is based upon a module that is based upon the ra#onality of classical 2

3 Visual Analysis First building to embody the new Renaissance architectural style The façade is is a loggia opening onto the street a sheltered por8co where parents could deliver unwanted children The arcade is a series of of round arches on very slender Corinthian columns Each bay has a pediment- capped window above The building is based upon a module that is based upon the ra#onality of classical architecture: Each column is ten braccia (or arm equal to 23 inches, aprox 20 C) The distance between the columns is 10 braccia And the distance between the columns and the wall is also 10 braccia THUS EACH BAY IS A CUBICAL UNIT OF 10 Braccia The height of the columns also equals the diameter of the arches, except the two outermost bays which are wider to help frame the building 3

4 Santo Spirito showcases the clarity and classical ra#onality that characterize his designs Brunelleschi laid out this cruciform building in either mul8ples or segments of the dome covered crossing square Thus a mathema8cal unit was used to determine the dimensions of every aspect of the church 20 by 20 braccia Builders a>er his death modified his plans filling in the semi- circular chapels to create a flat wall instead of a highly sculptural one 4

5 Visual Analysis Con#nued The use of ra8onal units of measurement creates a rhythmic harmony throughout the structure all equal parts of a whole Fixed ra8ons also determine the eleva8on the nave is is twice as high as it is wide The arcade and clerestory are of equal height, which means that the height of the arcade equal the naves width The austerity of the décor enhances the ra8onality of the design and produces a restul and tranquil atmosphere. Somber colors (whites and greys) No space for expansive wall frescoes frescoes would only detract from the clarity of the architecture and the use of shapes and lines to create an overall sculptural quality of the structure The logic of the building echoes that of the the Pantheon and clashes with the soaring drama of Gothic cathedrals uses repea8ng shapes like in the pantheon Demonstrates a faith in reason rather than emo#on. It is clear that a ra#onal mind created this holy space. The focus is not on the holy light coming in but the logical mind that constructed it. It is important to recognize that Brunelleschi and other Renaissance humanists believed that God created the world according to mathema#cal principles, principles that governed harmony and beauty What is so striking about this idea is that beauty lies in the rela#onships between the parts - - the propor#ons, and also the Humanist sense that we can know the mind of our creator and the laws of harmony that he created the universe with. 5

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9 Context At the Urbino court Piero produced portraits and religious artworks This double portrait depicts the count and his second wife He married ba_sta when she was 14 Hailing from the prominent Sforza family Ba_sta was a well educated humanist who administered his territories while he was away at ba`le When she died at age 26 he mourned for the rest of his life He commissioned this portrait shortly acer her death to pay tribute to her and as a memento of their marriage Visual Analysis The current frame is a 19th century addi8on Originally the two portaits formed a hinged diptych The format of 2 bust- length portraits set against an atmospheric landscape follows a Flemish format, as does the use of oil and tempra Federico employed Northern European ar8sts in his court who would have influenced Piero Formality of the image: Shown in profile to emulate the profile portraits of Roman emperors on coins collected by Renaissance humanists The profile also concealed the disfigura8on of Federico s face lost his eye and part of his nose. The is why he is on the right in le> profile while emperors are typically in right profile Renaissance marriage portraits also typically place the husband on the viewer s le> Piero based Ba_sta s portrait of her death mask 9

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