Filarete's Door

Directly following the Middle Ages came a time we have come to call the Renaissance. This was a time of rebirth, renewal, regeneration, and rejuvenation throughout the world, especially in Western Europe, where expanding trade brought news goods and, with them, new light to culture. It was a time where humanistic and philosophical ideas could flourish and be explored. Rather than focusing on the afterlife, the focus shifted to this life, the here and now, tour worldly realities. The individual became more important and there was a huge focus on learning the Classics, such as the Iliad and Odyssey, to inspire the arts. The Age of Faith morphed into the Age of Reason and cracks of light began to illuminate the Dark Ages causing the birth of new ideas. This affected self-awareness, religion, and science, but especially the arts, literature, and architecture.

We may further subdivide the Renaissance into two parts. The High Renaissance ran for about four decades between 1490 and 1527. ““Simply put, this period represented a culmination. The tentative artistic explorations of the Proto-Renaissance, which caught hold and flowered during the Early Renaissance, burst into full bloom during the High Renaissance. Artists no longer pondered the art of antiquity. They now had the tools, technology, training and confidence to go their own way, secure in the knowledge that what they were doing was as good - or better - than anything that had been done before” (Esaak 1). Almost bankrupting the city of Rome, this time was very expensive, as the popes were the ones that paid for the majority of the artwork. The Popes wanted the finest work money could buy and with artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Correggio and Donato Bramante, they could easily get what they wanted, but for a hefty fee.

But let us step back to the genesis of this new age, the Early Renaissance, which emerged in the beginning of the 15th century, and was more focused around Florentine artists. The Medici family paid for a good portion of the artwork. This is when artwork started to come alive with techniques such as realism, and expression through Brunelleschi’s system of linear perspective, rather than the flat perspective of the medieval era. There was also an emphasis on the individual through shadowing, softening, and the use of lighter colors. Artists focused more on the geometrical arrangement of the figures, as well. Famous artists of this time include Donatello, Masaccio, and Andrea Mantegna.

Amongst these brilliant artists, Antonio De Pierto Averlino became known for architecture, sculpting and writing. He later adopted the name Filarete, a Greek term for “Lover of excellence”, which is seen throughout all of his intricate artwork of his lifetime. He was born in Florence in 1400, but often moved for commissions. In 1451, Duke Francesco Sforza summoned Filarete to Milan. There, he was working mainly as an architect, with his