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[[File:Bru 1.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Portrait of Brunelleschi]]__NOTOC__

Brunelleschi adopted a simpler style and was more concerned with straight lines and proportions. He was more interested in balance and was not concerned with ornate decorations. Brunelleschi had developed a new style based on Roman models and one that decisively broke with Romanesque and Gothic designs that had been so prevalent in the Middle Ages. His classical designs inspired a whole new style of architecture that was to prove very influential on other architects such as Bramante and Michelangelo. Brunelleschi not only developed a new style in architecture he also developed many new forms. His work on churches was revolutionary and he was the first to move away from the old style of building a church in the form of a cross. He was the first to consider building churches in the form of rotundas, these are circular buildings with domes.<ref> Millon, Henry A., and Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani, eds. The Renaissance from Brunelleschi to Michelangelo: the representation of architecture. (London: Thames and Hudson, 1994), p. 113</ref> This was to prove very influential in the Renaissance and many great architects were influenced, including Palladio. In 1434 Brunelleschi designed the Santa Maria Degli Angeli of Florence. This was a revolutionary design and it was octagonal in shape, which was revolutionary. This was to change the design of churches all over Italy, and beyond. Perhaps Brunelleschi’s masterpiece is the dome of the Florence Cathedral. It was the largest dome that was built eight centuries, since Justinian the Great, built the Hagia Sophia. The creation of the dome was unbelievable challenging, given the resources and the technology of the times.<ref> Saalman, Howard. Filippo Brunelleschi: The Cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore(London: Zwemmer, 1980), p 15</ref>

He was the first to consider building churches in the form of rotundas, these are circular buildings with domes.<ref> Millon, Henry A., and Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani, eds. The Renaissance from Brunelleschi to Michelangelo: the representation of architecture. (London: Thames and Hudson, 1994), p. 113</ref> This change proved to be very influential in the Renaissance and influenced architects, including Palladio. In 1434 Brunelleschi designed the Santa Maria Degli Angeli of Florence. This was a revolutionary design and it was octagonal in shape, which was revolutionary. This was to change the design of churches all over Italy, and beyond. Perhaps Brunelleschi’s masterpiece is the dome of the Florence Cathedral. It was the largest dome that was built eight centuries, since Justinian the Great, built the Hagia Sophia. The creation of the dome was unbelievable challenging, given the resources and the technology of the times.<ref> Saalman, Howard. Filippo Brunelleschi: The Cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore(London: Zwemmer, 1980), p 15</ref>  Many believed that it could not be done. It is remarkable how Brunelleschi was able to build the dome, as he had to build it without scaffolding and buttresses. He solved the problem by building a dome with the cupola and used herringbone brickwork to make it all self-supporting .<ref>Saalman, p 18</ref>. Brunelleschi’s masterpiece revived the dome as a feature of architecture in the west. In particular, it influenced Michelangelo when he created the Dome of St Peter’s in Rome. Because of his profound influence, Brunelleschi can truly be considered to be the founder of Renaissance architecture.

Traditionally a man had one vocation and was expected to work at that for the rest of his life, this was emphasized in the guild-system. Brunelleschi was a true Renaissance Man and he was polymath and master of several disciplines. It is generally recognized that the Florentine was a master engineer and an accomplished mathematician. He designed several new types of hoist and construction methods, without which he could never have left such a remarkable legacy of buildings. The Florentine designed lifts and cranes that were centuries ahead of their time.<ref>Millon, p. 119</ref>.

Brunelleschi was also a military engineer and was an early advocate of town planning. He even designed and patented a new type of riverboat. Brunelleschi’s many accomplishments meant that he was in many ways, an early embodiment of the humanist ideal. He demonstrated that an individual could have accomplished many things. His example inspired many others to master several arts and disciplines, including Michelangelo and Leonardo.

At some point, Brunelleschi working on his own, rediscovered the techniques that allowed him to create a linear perspective. He developed a way of painting or sketching using a single vanishing point. This creates an illusion of three-dimension and space and death because all the lines converge. As a result, objects appear smaller if they seem to withdraw into the distance. This was revolutionary and it means that paintings were more realistic.<ref> Puttfarken, Thomas. The discovery of pictorial composition: Theories of visual order in painting 1400-1800 (Yale University Press, 2000), p. 119</ref>. It allowed, especially painters or illustrators to create more naturalistic renderings of objects and people.

There is some controversy as to the extent of Brunelleschi’s contribution to the rediscovery of linear perspective. It cannot be denied that this artistic technique spread like wildfire throughout Europe. Linear perspective caused a revolution in art and the masterpieces of Leonardo, Raphael, Titian, and Caravaggio would be unthinkable. Moreover, a linear perspective was also a way of representing the natural world and even persons. It was a technique that was also used by anatomists, scientists, and naturalists .<ref> Puttfarken, p. 111</ref>.