Gothic art

Gothic art is a style that first developed in France during the late medieval period of world history. It began shortly before the end of the Romanesque art period, which lasted from approximately 1000 C.E. to 1300 C.E. The style first appeared in the twelfth century with the growth of Gothic architecture. The term Gothic was originally used in an offensive way against medieval art in general. Gothic referred to the Nordic tribe known as the Goths, a barbaric group that conquered the Roman Empire in the sixth century. Gothic art later came to be appreciated for its many decorative characteristics, which included pointed arches and an emphasis on naturalism. France was the most prolific creator of Gothic productions, but the style made its way all over Europe. Gothic artistry persisted in other parts of the world even after the trend had ended in France. The Gothic age of art and architecture lasted until the fifteenth century and gradually dissipated with the arrival of the Italian Renaissance. The Gothic style can still be observed in ancient and modern buildings around the world.

Background

The Gothic style was initially developed to solve a series of architectural problems posed by engineers building churches and cathedrals during the twelfth century. Medieval builders wanted to find a way to build walls and archways that had the capacity to hold larger entrances and windows without compromising the integrity of a building's structure. Romanesque buildings only allowed for small windows due to the density of the walls and the rounded archways. Architects were eventually able to figure out how to thin out the walls of a building by inventing the pointed arch, which did not push against the walls as much as the Romanesque rounded arch did. The pointed arch accommodated a greater range of entryway and window sizes. The first example of early Gothic architecture arrived in 1144 with the renovation of the royal abbey church of Saint-Denis in France. Led by the church's abbot, Abbot Suger, the enlargement of the church's eastern end filled the structure with the Gothic style's characteristic pointed arches. The abbey is considered the earliest example of Gothic architecture, but the true architect behind the first known Gothic construction remains unknown.

By 1170, a new innovation known as flying buttresses served to reinforce these new styles. Flying buttresses were arch-shaped structures that connected the external walls of a building to the ground outside. Paired with a system of stone ribs that helped distribute the weight of the vault, this support system made greater heights attainable, and soon architects across Europe were competing against one another to build the tallest structures. The vault, or arched roof, of churches and cathedrals became the center of this rivalry, with the architects of each new building struggling to make their vaults slightly higher than its predecessors.

The abbey at Saint-Denis inspired the creation of the first great cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris. Construction of the cathedral began in 1163 and was not completed until 1345. Notre Dame de Paris was one of several examples of the experimentation that characterized the early Gothic period. By the late twelfth century, Gothic had entered its high period with the construction of France's Chartres Cathedral, built between 1194 and 1220. Chartres provided the standard by which all future Gothic edifices would abide by. The high Gothic period culminated in the construction of the Reims Cathedral, a feat that introduced the usage of bar tracery, or complex patterns of stone support, to the glass of Gothic windows.

The high Gothic period was followed by the Rayonnant Gothic period. This period replaced an emphasis on height with a focus on a greater presence of stained glass windows. Rayonnant structures contained more windows, and its exteriors were often ornately detailed with intricate tracery, or interlaced decorative patterns. Such detail would give rise to the final phases of the Gothic period. Between the late fourteenth and early sixteenth centuries, the Gothic style stuck to an emphasis on tracery and stained glass.

By this time, Gothic style had spread across the world and was influencing artistic mediums outside of architecture, such as painting, sculpting, and printmaking. Such artists adopted the same basic principles of religious reverence when designing their work, but many painters and sculptors incorporated more secular themes that would herald the coming Renaissance. The arrival of the Renaissance in Italy marked the end of the Gothic era of art and architecture. The Gothic age remained one of the most influential artistic eras in history, and its principles continued to inspire artists over the years.

Overview

The Gothic style has several distinguishing characteristics that set it apart from other eras in art history. The pointed arch was the defining characteristic of Gothic architecture. This feature gave the impression of soaring heights within churches and cathedrals. The Gothic style of church and cathedrals, with their ever-ascending ceilings and beautiful stained glass windows, were often specifically designed to remind those within the structure of heaven. Windows and walls were commonly decorated with biblical scenes depicting the lives of saints and other religious personas. Throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, many Gothic buildings often featured a rose window, which was a circular window resembling a bloomed flower. Images of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary were often featured at the center of the rose window, which was then colored to show brilliantly in sunlight. Many buildings also featured sculptures of religious figures known as jamb statues, which adorned the interior and exterior walls of a structure.

The Gothic era also placed great emphasis on detail, and many artists and designers gravitated toward naturalism, a style dedicated to accurately representing all aspects of nature. The Gothic period produced some of the most intricate detailing of natural forms in art history, and many buildings and sculptures featured remarkably realistic models of plant life. This artistic accuracy also applied to depictions of emotions. Many Gothic artists and sculptors stressed the representation of strong and tender feelings in their figures. This technique was often meant to inspire religious fervor in audiences, such as when viewing the loving exchange between the Virgin mother and her child, Jesus. Gothic ideals infiltrated all forms of art through its four centuries of influence, and its unique style was translated to a variety of nonspiritual goods, such as metalwork, apparel, manuscripts, furniture, and utensils. The advent of the Renaissance led to the end of Gothic's reign among artists as intellectual and humanist principles came to prominence.

Bibliography

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"Gothic." The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture. Volume 2, edited by Colum Hourihane, Oxford UP, 2012, pp. 49–51.

"Gothic Art." Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mgot/hd‗mgot.htm. Accessed 28 Dec. 2016.

"Gothic Art and Architecture." University of Colorado Boulder, autocww.colorado.edu/~toldy3/E64ContentFiles/PeriodsAndStyles/Gothic.html. Accessed 28 Dec. 2016.

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