The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance: How Brunelleschi and Ghiberti Changed the Art World

This book is a history of the the first decades of the Quattrocento in Florence. The most prominent Florentine artists during this period were Filippo Brunelleschi, who designed and built the dome of the Duomo, and Lorenzo Ghiberti, who created two of the three bronze doors for the Baptistery. Brunelleschi and Ghiberti were among the vanguard of the Renaissance art world, and their work influenced later generations of artists. Brunelleschi also shaped the landscape of Florence with his famous dome as well as other architectural projects.

The author's note and source notes provide evidence of extensive research. However, the author is not an art historian. The book is filled with speculation about the authors' motives, feelings, and show more interpersonal relationships. No illustrations are included, so readers who aren't already familiar with the buildings, sculptures, and paintings discussed in the book will need to look for images elsewhere. This is at best an introduction to the art world of early Renaissance Florence. The lack of illustrations limits its usefulness for this purpose. show less

Competition between the two men for the Baptistry Doors certainly changed pre-Renaissance Italian Art from a focus on Painting and Sculpture to Architecture.

That this "sparked" the Renaissance is still being debated.

(f the Woodcutter "prank" is true, readers may lose interest in F. Brunelleschi as a moral person,
but rather, a cruel jerk. As well, his trips back and forth and back and forth to cities made for very boring interludes.)

Descriptions of the Doors and Dome are totally enthralling!

Yet, where are all the photographs???

Brunelleschi, Filippo, 1377-1446/Ghiberti, Lorenzo, 1378-1455/Art > Competitions > Italy > Florence >/History > 15th century/Artists > Italy > Florence > Biography/Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedral : Florence,/Italy)/Art, Renaissance > Italy > Florence