Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The First Modern Engineer

Filippo Brunelleschi

Born in Florence in 1377, Brunelleschi, like his peers Ghiberti and Donatello, was apprenticed to a goldsmith, Benincasa Lotti. They worked amidst the slums of the Santa Croce quarter. It was there that young Brunelleschi learned the skills of mounting, engraving and embossing. He also studied the science of motion, using wheels, gears, cogs and weights.

Brunelleschi's most important achievement in mathematics came around 1415 when he rediscovered the principles of linear perspective using mirrors. He understood that there should be a single vanishing point to which all parallel lines in a plane, other than the plane of the canvas, converge. Also important was his understanding of scale, and he correctly computed the relation between the actual length of an object and its length in the picture depending on its distance behind the plane of the canvas. Using these mathematical principles, he drew various scenes of Florence with correct perspective. These perspective drawings by Brunelleschi have since been lost but a "Trinity" fresco by Masaccio still exists which uses Brunelleschi's mathematical principles.

Brunelleschi has yet more claims to fame. In 1421 he became the first person to acquire an industrial patent. It gave him a three-year monopoly on the manufacture of a barge with hoisting gear which was used to carry marble from the Carrara quarries to the gates of Florence, sailing upstream on the Arno. Finally we should mention the fact, in the tradition of ancient Greek architects, that he made stage sets for shows and festivals.
He was buried in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore but it was only in 1972 that his tomb was discovered having been lost for hundreds of years.




10 comments:

  1. Iv'e really noticed that alot of older artist like donatello learned from being an apprentince.And they also were pretty intrested into the art of science,which is odd because you wouldn't really think and artist would care about that stuff,but it really shows that art isn't all easy,there is alot of logic behind it.

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  2. I've learn to realize that art isn't as easy as it looks actually it's very difficult until you put your mind to it and also complicated like any other study. Art is very interesting goes back in the 15 centuries wow.... . That is a long time and Mrs. Martinez shows me more and more cool, exciting things each day.

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  3. he must be really old since he was born in 1377 and colonial Virgina was established in 1690. i really think that he should have a new burial place. that's just what i think.

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  4. i don't really like using vanishing point

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  5. i like how we are learning how to do this in art class. i think its really cool we people learn how to draw like this

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  6. this looks amazing. and it looks really difficult to be done.

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  7. This is really cool. I liked learning about this.

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