Humanism is defined as a ôàactive ethical and philosophical approach to life focusing on human solutions to human issues through rational arguments without recourse to a god, gods, sacred texts or religious creeds,ö (Humanism, 2005, p. 1). Humanism stems from the philosophy of Protagoras who maintained that ôman is the measure of all things,ö (Humanism, 2005, p. 1). The humanistic ideal maintains that people are the only source or determination of values and morality, not some objective or absolute code. If we look at the art and architecture of Filippo Brunelleschi, we see many influences of humanism on his works.
Filippo Brunelleschi is the most famous architect of the early Renaissance. Brunelleschi argued that works of art should have a mathematical or rational knowledge in order to express perspective. We see in the simple perfection of the dome of the Dome of Florence Cathedral, BrunelleschiÆs most significant and famous work, that the architect expresses this humanistic ideal of ration. The Cathedral is characterized by a natural and secular construction that is evidence of the move away from the religious and toward the secular or human as the ultimate arbiter. One historian notes, Brunelleschi ôàestablished canons of serene rhythms, clear geometry, and symmetry, often using the simplest materials,ö (Filippo, 2005, p. 1).
If the humanistic ideal conveys man as the measure of all things, the development of human perspective is another ideal of humanism closely linked with the work of Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi is credited with creating more perspective in his works and representations than artists before him. He is generally credited with the evolution of the linear perspective, one where all parallel lines that recede into the distance at a similar angle appear to converge at a single point, the horizon. This is comparable to the point of view of the individual
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