Gothic Art 1150-1500’s

Gothic

c. 1150-1500 Economy continues to grow and so does populations

and large cities emerge and feudalism begins to die out

The term Gothic was given to this time period from critics because it did not hold to the standards of ancient Greek and Roman art

Mainly describes architecture

Great cathedrals were built to glorify the Church; and they became the religious, cultural, and social centers of growing cities.

Great Cathedrals in France

The emphasis is on height with wide

windows

Breathtaking height had become the

dominant aim, and the creations of

“translucent wall” filled with stained glass

windows

Innovations in Cathedral Architecture

Gothic architecture moved away from Romanesque heaviness and solidity toward structures of lightness and grace.

During 13th century, French architects developed the pointed arch, piers, and the flying buttress

Enabled builders to erect slender, soaring Cathedrals

Sometimes, buildings begun in Romanesque style where finished in the Gothic style

Notre Dame Cathedral

Chartres Cathedral

Chartres,

France

Original

construction:

1145-1155

Reconstructed

c. 1194-1220

Limestone,

stained glass

Pointed Arches and Flying Buttresses

Pointed arches reduce sideways thrust

Pressure is directed downward to slender

supporting columns called piers

Additional support is provided by

buttresses

A buttress is a support or brace that

counteracts the outward thrust of an arch

Piers

replaced thick columns

Flying Buttress

They often had to reach over the side aisles of the church: came to be known as “flying buttress”

This system eliminated

the need for solid walls

Result: space between piers could be filled with

stained glass

Flying Buttress

Gothic Interior

Required no more decoration than the colored stained glass and vertical lines

Stained Glass Windows

Walls of glass let light in

Impressed and instructed the worshipers

Light streaming through windows made glass richer and brighter than dull surface of a wall painting

In 1194 a fire destroyed Chartres'

earlier Cathedral. Of the twelfth-

century windows that survived,

only this figure of Mary and the

large windows at the west end

were the only ones deemed worth

reusing by the thirteenth century

master. This image of Mary has for

centuries been an object of special

veneration and since the fifteenth

century has been known as Our

Lady of the Beautiful Window.

Mary is seated on a throne, her feet

resting on a footstool, covered with a

rug. She is dressed in a garment of a

bright, luminous blue. Her head,

surrounded by a blue halo bordered

with pearls, is topped by a rich crown.

A white veil falls in folds on either

side of her head. Her hands rest on

the shoulders of her Son, who is

seated on her knees. A cruciform

halo is around his head. His right

hand is raised in blessing. In his left

hand he holds an open book where

we read the words:

Omnis vallis implebitur ("Every

valley shall be filled.") It is a prophecy

of the Incarnation found in Isaiah 40:4

and recalled by John the Baptist in

Luke 3:5.

Pointed Arches replaced round

arches

Compare the difference between

barrel vault and groin vault

Gothic Church Construction

Gothic cathedrals were both expressions religious devotion and symbols of civic pride

Unlike rural settings of Romanesque churches, Gothic cathedrals were products of the new and prosperous cities

People competed for the right to claim that their cathedral was the biggest, tallest or most beautiful

Gothic style

spread throughout

Europe and was

adapted for use in

monasteries and

secular buildings.

Santes Creus Cloister, Near Tarragona, Spain

GOTHIC SCULPTURE AND

ILLUSTRATED BOOKS

Gothic Focus

Cathedrals were erected to the glory of God

Vertical lines pointed toward heaven: spires, columns, windows, pointed arches

Sculptural Decorations

Sculptures of normal size would have detracted from soaring quality

To avoid this, sculptures were elongated (stretched out)

Repeated, long folds on their sculptured garments emphasize the vertical movement of these figures

Often, the figures even stand on globes

with their toes pointing downward to

create the impression that they are rising

upward

Figures project

from the wall

Figures were

recognizable

Growing concern for reality

Sculptors wanted figures to look real

◦ Appear to move and look about

◦ Drapery looks as though it covers a real body

Balance More natural balance was sought: more informal

Death of the Virgin, Cloister tympanum, Cathedral of

Pamplona, Spain. 14th c.

Gargoyles

Interesting sculptural feature was the gargoyle: the grotesque flying monsters that project out from the upper portions of the huge churches

Made of carved stone or cast metal

Functioned as rain spouts

Why ugly? Besides being interesting, they look like evil spirits fleeing for their lives from the sacred building!

ILLUSTRATED BOOKS

Illuminated Manuscripts

Demand of illustrated books containing psalms, gospels, and other parts of the liturgy grew

These books, called psalters, were the prized possessions of the wealthy

Showed influence of stained-glass art: illustrations were placed within a painted architectural framework like those surround stained-glass windows.

Carrow Psalter, mid 13th c.

The Carrow

Psalter

Made in the mid-thirteenth century in England

Book of prayers

Shown: assassination of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury

Four knights attack the archbishop as he kneels before the altar

Sword breaks with the blow

Knight forces him to the floor with his foot

Astonished attendant looks on

Two years later the archbishop was made a saint

International Style

Painters began to show great concern for realistic details

Desired to made figures more graceful and colorful

Became known as the International style

Book of Hours (prayer book)

Book of Hours

Created by famous Limbourg brothers

Patron: brother of French king: Duke of Berry

ITALIAN CHURCH PAINTING

Italy

Gothic architecture did not become

popular in Italy

Italian builders continued to construct

churches in a modified Romanesque style

Warmer climate

may have made

Italians prefer

darker cooler

interiors of

Romanesque-

type buildings

Florence Cathedral 1296-1426

Façade

Gothic Interior

Paintings…. Italian style! Instead of putting in stained-glass

windows, artists continued to decorate

church walls with murals.

Basilica de

Santa Croce,

Florence

1443

Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1318)

Paintings on wooden panels were also used to decorate the interiors

Known as the Maestà (or “Majesty Altarpiece”)

Made for the altar at the Cathedral of Siena

Combination of several panel paintings

Reverse side

Virgin in Majesty is the subject of

the main panel. (11 feet high)

She is the Queen of Heaven

The Calling of the Apostles Peter and

Andrew Christ is calling Peter

and Andrew, he is inviting them to join him as his apostles

Use of gold in background

Bright colors, two-dimensional figures

Shallow space

Similar characteristics to Byzantine mosaics

Compare

Giotto di Bondone

Realistic figures, actions and emotions

Natural looking poses

Appear to take real actions in real space

Lamentation Pieta by Giotto di Bondone

Timeline

Early Christian AD 100-300

Byzantine c. 300-500

Romanesque c. 1000-1300

Gothic c. 1150-1500

c. 330 Roman Empire Divided

c. 532-537 Hagia Sophia Istanbul, Turkey

Early Medieval c. 475-1050

800 Pope crowns Charlemagne First Holy Roman Emperor

Pisa Cathedral Chartes Cathedral

c. 1454 BC End of

Byzantine Empire

Art of the Middle Ages

Byzantine Romanesque Gothic

Art Mosaics, icons Frescoes, stylized

sculpture

Stained glass,

more natural

sculpture

Architecture Central-dome

church

Barrel-vaulted church Pointed-arch

cathedral

Example Hagia Sophia Pisa Chartres

Notre Dame

Date 532-37 1000-1300 1150-1500

Place Constantinople,

Turkey

Ravenna,Italy

Pisa, Italy Chartres, France

Paris, France