Prognostication on Firenze

Somewhere in between the English and Italian languages, i's often shift over to l's.  It's been a humorous observation to take place our plazas translate to piazza for Italians, as well as our Florence equating their Firenze.  How great!  In attempts to project my expectations for the Florence trip I shall employ the aptly assigned materials on Giotto and Brunelleschi, the Renaissance men who truly formed and reformed the heart of the rebirth present in the Renaissance.  In the sense of the growing understanding of the Neoplatonists, their work of art was one of the most divine frenzy, representing a most fantastical understanding of the higher forms that art not only becomes but represents.  I am most elated to witness the arts these men have produced that have become so crucial to the interworking of the city of Florence for centuries.  This focuses most fittingly around the church most popularly referred to as Duomo.  This basilica is the birth place of much of the trouble in Brunelleschi's life.  Having to contend with Lorenzo to cast in bronze the doors of the baptistry, Brunelleschi lost the competition in creating the most beautiful door, or rather tied with his main contender.  Though this seemed as a loss in his eyes, which historically seems to have been for the better.  As a result, Brunelleschi ventured to the Pantheon and other famous Roman structures yet extant in the city of Rome to learn their architecture and style.  This is what Brunelleschi offered to the Renaissance: a rebirth for the appreciation and application of Roman architecture.  The product made possible was the once thought impossible establishment of the dome on the Basilica that remained uncovered for 80 years: the Duomo.  Using an ingenious mixture of Roman and Gothic architecture, Brunelleschi was able to achieve what many before him for nearly a century couldn't.  Sadly, his newly learned Roman style architecture could not alone solve the problems posed by the necessities of the 180 foot tall towering structure that the Basilica was without the dome!  Though he dare not fully cede to the demands for the Gothic style herein, he had to employ some of the techniques for success, though he was able to tickle most of his fancy by employing a sort of dual layered design to establish a successful topping.  The result?  Something scarcely seen before.  Something I can't wait to witness!  A combination of art, architecture, mathematics, classical appreciation I can hardly imagine to contest it!  And yet, there it is, a testament to the capabilities of Creativity and the true skill of the Renaissance man.  Herein lies a clear connection to the kind of scholastic endeavors present in much of Renaissance education--a clear connection to the education of the past.  This is a different employment than I am used to, because its medium is not conveyed through text but rather in the sprawling edifices of Italia.  Perhaps in absentia from Brunelleschi's work here is the component of secularism; let's face it, all his main works are done for churches.  But does he look at it in the same sense that we think of churches?  In his ten volume work on buildings, Brunelleschi refers to churches as temples intended for worshiping the gods.  His intent is clearly in reference to worshipping God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit along with the saints but I think there is something being conveyed here that is different than my own more protestant and less Renaissanc-ian thinking on the role of the church.  I cogitate often on the purpose of beautiful architecture and the grandiose nature of some cathedrals and usually chalk up to an honor towards God.  But there seems to be a different kind of inspiration looped up in this Renaissance thought process, if I may be so bold as to insert my own uneducated opinion.  This is a manifestation of a sort of secularist and humanist appreciation for the products of humanity and its capability to achieve the impossible: as in capping the 8 decade-roofless basilica.  This is what I am most elated to witness!  The manifestation of where Roman meets Gothic architecture, where secularism meets the church, where old meets new in rebirth, where art meets math, where I can limp around the streets of Firenze!  In combination with anticipation for Brunelleschi's midwifing in the process of rebirthing Roman architecture, Giotto's astounding rediscovery of the process of proportion and the calculation of distances in painting, sculpting and bronze casting is nothing short of miraculous.  It brings to mind a comparison to Plato's departure from the world of forms and contemplation for the re-cognizing of the forms-especially those of good art!  Giotto's crafty fingerprints will be all over the city in a way that can scarcely be missed.  His reawakening of proportion and detail shows a sort of chronological awareness and Renaissanc-ian appreciation for the education and methodology employed in the past.  Certainly the great influences of Brunelleschi and Giotto will bear heavy weight in my appreciation and cogitations in the city of Firenze.