... destroy all things Gothic, which they saw as the barbaric artistic style, named Gothic because the Goths led to the downfall of the Roman Empire, this group of artists were unable to recognise many aspects of the international Gothic style as the starting points of their own work. Brunelleschi was undoubtedly one of the leaders of this group and it is telling that his first major achievement was to be employed to complete that Gothic masterpiece, the Florentine cathedral. He was the only architect capable of creating a cupola that could cover such a large area with pillars. His work on this cathedral ironically inspired him to vow that his subsequent architectural works would be influenced by the classical era. As a result, Brunelleschi spent much of his time studying Roman ruins to gain inspiration. However, he decisively did not stick to the Roman formulas, instead choosing to take ...

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