Gothic+Art

=Gothic Art=

//from Mr. Bowers AP Art History Courses at East Chapel Hill High School//

//this article is about the art and culture of// Gothic Europe

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 * Gothic art** represented the refinement of early medieval art, and it was largely intended to promote and support Catholicism. Originally a misnomer coined by Giorgio Vasari (an art historian who associated the older style buildings to the "Goths", whom he believed to be a primitive people that had destroyed the Roman works he loved). Most prominent (and common) are **cathedrals,** which were usually paid for by Church officials and local aristocrats. These impressive buildings used (at that time) new technologies and techniques such as **stained glass, flying buttresses,** and **ribbed vaults.**

At the same time, however, religious works in other media were also being developed more fully, such as with **sculpture, manuscript illumination,** and **tapestries.** We will explore these in the second half of this entry.

=**Overview**=

By the mid-12th century, the precursor to France, **Ile-de-France**, was a small region that began to use a new architectural style (which would later become the **Gothic style**). When **Ile-de-France** conquered neighboring regions, the architecture spread, and the style soon pervaded western Europe. At the same time, cities began to grow in size and prominence, and several universities (such as Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, etc.) were founded that supplanted **monasteries** as places of learning. The **scholasticism movement** grew out of these institutions.

=**Prototype: The Abbey Church of Saint-Denis**=

The ** Abbey Church of Saint-Denis ** **,** which is shown at right, is widely considered to be the fir st Gothic cathedral. T he building was renovated by **Abbot Suger,** who wanted to honor the patrons saint's belief that the building should reflect the glory of God by letting in more light. This effect was achieved through the many windows in the building, as can be seen in the picture of the interior.

On the exterior, there are also many major features that should be noted. At the top center, note the **rose window** which would become a major part of future French cathedrals. Furthermore, there are three **portals,** which would have been entrances to the church. Nonetheless, evidence of the Romanesque style remains, as we can see that the building still uses Roman motifs and is missing defining features of a cathedral that we will see below (including **flying buttresses** and **rib vaults.**)

=**French Successors: The Cathedrals of Notre-Dame (Our Lady) in Paris, Chartres, and Reims**=

Following the design of Saint-Denis, multiple other French cathedrals adopted designs that allowed for more light (and thus, windows). Since these windows had to take up wall space that would have been used to support the structure, external supports known as **flying buttresses** were used to displace those forces to the outside. For the interior, increased support was given by **rib vaults**, which were contained in the interior of the aisles. The examples below will display these elements of architecture.

** Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris **
As France expanded, the new style became more and more widespread, especially in Paris, the capital. Bridging the gap between **Saint-Denis** and the **High Gothic cathedrals** was the **Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris****,** which was begun in **1163.** Prominently featured is the **rose window** that was seen on **Saint-Denis.** Note that Romanesque elements have simply been refined in this design; the choir, transept, and apsidal chapels are all still present in the structure. Westworks are also seen at the left of the photo below.



** Notre-Dame Cathedral in Reims **
If **Notre Dame at Paris** seemed to be a transitory structure, then **Notre Dame at Reims** served as a statement of what French Gothic cathedrals should look like. In addition to the **portals** and **flying buttresses** (which can be seen from two different angles below), the **jambs** (see illustration below) feature the **Annunciation (left) and Visitation (right),** which would have reminded worshipers of these key scenes in the life of Christ.

**Notre-Dame Cathedral in Chartres**
To assist in memory of all parts of the **Gothic cathedral,** a simple diagram of **Notre Dame in Chartres** is given below, along with a detailed diagram of the parts of a **portal** (note that it is identical to those of the Romanesque era). Study these two diagrams in detail, as they will be crucial to know for assessments.



=**Beyond France: Gothic Architecture in England and Germany / Holy Roman Empire**=

As stated in the introduction, French Gothic began to influence the architecture of Northern Europe. In each region, however, the buildings varied from place to place depending upon preceding rulers and styles. Note that **Italy** is omitted because they developed their own style apart based more upon the vestiges of the Roman Empire.

England
Three major buildings characterize the architecture from this region.

Salisbury Cathedral
Though small, this aerial view of **Salisbury Cathedral** shows how the English modified the French Gothic. One key difference in this building is the **spire** that rises above the building, replacing the westworks that were part of the Carolingian tradition. On the interior, however, there are no major differences other than the dual transepts. Furthermore, there is a cloister (the square courtyard at the side of the cathedral) and a chapter house (intended for meetings of the clergy).

Built in a later era, the **Exeter Cathedral** serves as an example of the High Gothic era in England, at least. One key difference in this building is a crucial part of the Gothic style, **crenelations (battlements),** which can be clearly seen in the tower at left. Note that the roof of Exeter Cathedral is held up by **fan vaults.** The facade has also changed; though the **rose window** is still present, the three portals are no longer modeled after Romanesque standards. The various small roofs are reminiscent of Duke Chapel, which was modeled after the English cathedrals.

Stokesay Castle
In a secular vein, the **Stokesay Castle** sought to incorporate many elements of the Gothic style. In particular, we can note the **pointed arches** and the windows of this building. As we saw at **Exeter Cathedral**, we see a crucial part of the Gothic style, **crenelations (battlements),** seen in the tower of the far corner .



Germany and the Holy Roman Empire
Drawing from the **Carolingian** precedent, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire (i.e. Central Europe) had buildings that emulated their predecessors; we will look at an example of such a cathedral below.

Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Marburg
The **Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Marburg, Germany** is shaped much like a basilica, and it has the two westworks at the front in the Carolingian style. Though the interior contains multiple **rib vaults**, there are no aisles, breaking away from the style of pilgrimage churches.

= The International Gothic Style =

Now that we have looked at Catholic cathedrals in Northern Europe, we can now examine the other media. Some forms were developed specifically for cathedrals, while others were simply refinements of previous developments from the Romanesque era. We will look at several of these works below.

Stained Glass
Since most Europeans could not read or write, the Catholic Church relied upon **stained glass** and **paintings** to tell stories to the masses. Even worse was that Latin was the official language of the Church until the 1960s; thus, though Bibles may have been provided that were written in the native language, most could not comprehend the sermon anyway. Below are examples of pictures that were featured at major cathedrals (and



Illuminated Manuscripts
Only aristocrats could purchase books during the Gothic era; however, the ones that have remained are richly illustrated. Popular tomes included the **Books of Hours,** which contained prayers for various times of the day (and were intended to show piousness). Multiple other types of books were produced, however, and we will examine the pictures contained in them below.



Tapestries and Embroidery
Produced in England, many of the most famous tapestries came from England, such as the **Bayeux Embroidery** (from the Romanesque era) and the **Chichester-Constable Chasuble**. It would not be until the Renaissance that Flanders (in Belgium) would begin to rival England. Both of these works are shown below to provide a comparison.



Sculpture
The Germans produced much of the **sculpture** of the Gothic era, as can be seen in the works below. In each of their works, there is a recurring theme of realism and accurate depiction.