Brunelleschi’s Architecture: Pietra Serena and Roman Influence

He constantly used Pietra Serena, a gray stone for walls, contrasting with white plaster. He did not focus so much on color effects, but rather on architectural ones (white is secondary).

The capitals are of a classic character, but not the stems. It is a kind of compound capital with acanthus leaves, heat waves, and eggs, but with a smooth shaft. Brunelleschi used classic elements in a free interpretation and not as a fake.

• Above the capitals are the arches, which modulate quite abundantly and with quality, with a very caring nature.
• Above the arches, an entablature not seen since antiquity. It’s not exactly canon, but it’s a return to ancient times.
• Between each arch are glazed ceramic discs, with figures of wrapped children in white on blue backgrounds. These are the work of Andrea della Robbia.

There is a picture by Fray Bartolomé (painter of altarpieces) around 1500 which appears as the center of the facade, but missing two arches (the 8th and 9th). Also, upstairs windows appear with alternating triangular and curved pediments, where now all are triangular. This suggests that the building was completed in Brunelleschi’s life.

Rome

He was there between 1430 and 1432, with Donatello. Brunelleschi did no work there (it was easier to receive a commission for a sculptor, like Donatello, than for an architect because his work is long and complicated).

In Rome, he had to renew his knowledge (he had been to Rome when he became an architect, but now he saw the work in perspective: understanding the technical aspects, etc.). He underwent maturation.

Upon his return, he was asked for two different buildings: a normal parish church (Church of the Holy Spirit) and a private temple (La Rotonda). In this way, he could develop two different but complementary ideas. These are as different as the others, but you can see how they are two sides of the same coin (complementary).

The Rotonda

It is well known for its round base, seen from a distance, because it really is a 16-sided polygon.

It is a funerary chapel dedicated to St. Mary of the Angels.

The building was commissioned by a condottiere (military-for-pay) called Filippo degli Scolari, also known as Pippo Spano (span = Hungarian title equivalent to Count). He left money upon his death to erect a religious building as a votive offering to redeem his sins.

The work was put into the hands of the Camaldolese (a religious order with a lot of development in Florence, both spiritually and culturally), but Pippo’s relatives fought with them for the money, thus slowing the progress of the works.

The building never reached completion. It was to be known from a drawing by the architect Giuliano da Sangallo, as Brunelleschi only built up to the capitals.

• Brunelleschi designed a longitudinal building, but with a central plant, as a 16-sided polygon on the inside, corresponding to 8 chapels (a plant dedicated to the Virgin, the sides in pairs, apostles, and the last one serves as an entrance).
• The chapels are separated by pillars, but the bottom of each chapel is flat (like one side of the polygon), so that the pillar becomes a semicircular wall, causing a vacuum whose idea was that it made a niche outside (not so now). The wall is not a slave of the interior.