Brunelleschi's dome

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy. Dome by Filippo Brunelleschi, completed in 1436.
Photo courtesy of: ThisbeStockholm.

Aside from its on-going mysteries that veil the design and construction methods of the world's largest brick and mortar dome, how did Filippo Brunelleschi make the transition from artist to architect? It is no wonder that Brunelleschi kept his dome construction secrets hidden because artists' ideas were often stolen during the Renaissance. Many researchers have been studying the dome to figure out how it was constructed without wooden scaffolding. Finally, Nova has revealed many great clues to the mystery in the documentary Great Cathedrals Mystery.

After watching Nova's interpretations of the dome, I believe they overlooked the fact that Brunelleschi literally fell into Nero's Golden Palace with his Renaissance buddies Donatello, sculptor, and Masaccio, painter. Many may already know that together Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Masaccio are considered the fathers, relatively, of the beginning of the Italian Renaissance. The three of them accidentally fell into Nero's palace, which was buried underground, constructed between AD 65-68 in Rome.

When Brunelleschi was asked how he would construct the Dome at the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, he told the priests that he was going to use methods employed by the Romans. He said that he had done a lot of research about Roman construction methods and therefore was confident that he could design the Dome as well. So, when we wonder how he designed and constructed the Duomo, we might want to focus more on the fact that he was an avid student of classical architecture and was not only self-taught, but was good friends with other Renaissance geniuses of the time.

Even more interesting to note, on a personal level, is the fact that Brunelleschi was trained as a goldsmith. He spent many years as an apprentice designing jewelry. He was not yet an architect when he proposed his design for the dome. Yet, he turned out to be the most qualified individual. While the priesthood selected other architects to help Brunelleschi at the time, their help proved negligent. It is amazing that this man was given the opportunity of a lifetime to prove his skills.

Yet even more interesting is the similarity between Brunelleschi and Le Corbusier. Both are on the very top of the list of all-time most influential architects. Both have similar architectural beginnings. Many do not know this, but Le Corbusier was a successful watch-maker before he began doing architecture. His educational experience was similar to Brunelleschi's.

Both Brunelleschi and Le Corbusier have roots in miniature hand-made design work. They both exercised impeccable talents for proportion, scale, and detail in their architectural works. It makes one wonder about the mystery, therefore, behind Brunelleschi and Le Corbusier's architectural training and success. How was the transition made from artist to architect? Were their backgrounds in handiwork responsible for enabling them to become two of the world's most influential architects?