The heroic vision of the High Renaissance artists and their patrons was shared by their wealthy patrons who set out to better the 'ancients'. In Rome and Milan, artists and architects were commissioned to aggrandize the triumphs of popes and princes, dynasties, and the Church.
             Bramante led in his field to the realization of a powerful new scope for knowledge, representation, and building. Science virtuosity, classicism, expressiveness, and Neoplatonism are all celebrated in their work. Bramante's architectural designs from the High Renaissance were crucial in the development and expression of Modernism in building designs. Over the preceding three hundred years before the High Renaissance, there was a reemergence of humanist philosophies. Starting with the teachings of St Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) there began a renewed interest in human dignity inspired by Christian virtue. Developing from this in the Early Renaissance, through the economic prosperity of city-states in northern modern-day Italy, especially, and the rediscovery of classical Roman ideals through writing, art, and architecture, humanism became a popular scholarly secular pursuit. Christianity and humanism were studied to complement one another resulting in a type of Neoplatonism. By the time of the High Renaissance, the expression of Humanistic and Christian ideals are clearly displayed in many artists' works of the time and in fact, go beyond the original intents of Humanism and Christianity to develop a philosophy and style that is unique to the Renaissance. This essay will explore how Bramante expressed these new ideas and how they were crucial in the development of Modernism.
             Born in Urbino, Bramante (1444-1514) initially studied as a painter. On moving to Milan in 1481 and working court with Leonardo he moved from painting and began designing buildings. Whilst his designs show influence from Brunelleschi, Alberti, and Classical antiquity, in his article, Murr...