The Gothic art It was a style of medieval art that developed in northern France in the 12th century, led by the development of Gothic architecture. In addition, it was characterized as an art that evolved from the Romanesque and lasted until the end of the 16th century in some areas of Europe..
Architecture and minor arts such as Gothic painting and sculpture managed to spread and flourish throughout Western and Central Europe during the Middle Ages..
The term "Gothic" was coined by the classic Italian Renaissance writers, who attributed the invention to the barbarian Gothic tribes who had destroyed the Roman Empire and its classical culture. In fact, the Gothic for them was synonymous with "non-classical ugliness".
Like Romanesque art, Gothic art was characterized by being a deeply religious Christian and Marian art par excellence; being able to be observed in the sculptures, paintings and even in the symbolic essence of the Gothic stained glass windows of the cathedrals.
Article index
When the Roman Empire collapsed in AD 475. C, the Germanic tribes, or the Goths, absorbed what was left of the old empire. However, these tribes were not characterized by their unification; otherwise they would fight each other.
Fear brought a halt to commerce, the spread of culture, and a decline in cultural progress, ushering in the Dark Ages. Growing fear caused society to stagnate and they stopped traveling, resulting in the rise of medieval and feudal society..
During this stage of the Middle Ages, the workers were in charge of cultivating the land, while the lords provided protection in return, as the workers' areas were often unsafe.
Medieval obscurantism was characterized as a period of backwardness, with violent intellectual stagnation. For this reason, the construction of great castles began, which ultimately gave rise to Gothic architecture, named for the barbarian tribes..
Gothic art emerged in France in the early 12th century with the Abbey Church of Saint Denis built by the French ecclesiastic Suger. The style spread across Europe from architecture, sculpture of monumental and personal size, to textile art, painting, stained glass, and illuminated manuscripts..
The monastic orders (especially the Cistercians and the Carthusians) are thought to have been the important builders who spread the style and developed variants throughout Europe..
A large part of Gothic art in the period was religious in nature, either commissioned by the church or by the laity. This type of art was characterized by reflecting the beliefs of the events of the Old and New Testaments. For that reason, it is said that Gothic was the evolution of Romanesque art in Europe.
Many artists and architects of the time complained about the new barbarian styles that were emerging. For this reason, the word "gothic" was assigned as synonyms for what was considered disorderly, monstrous and barbarous..
Gothic art was an exclusively religious style. The Roman Church had a great weight in the development of this artistic style. Not only did it inspire the public and its secular leaders, but it established the connection between religion and art..
The Gothic period coincided with a great rise in devotion to the Virgin Mary, where the visual arts played a fundamental role..
The images of the Virgin Mary developed from Byzantine art, through the Coronation of the Virgin, but with much more human and real characteristics. Subjects such as the cycles of the life of the virgin were very popular in Gothic art.
The exhibition of scenes of Christ and his sufferings were very popular; exhibitions of paintings and sculptures of Jesus Christ were held, generally displaying the wounds of his passion as a synonym for human redemption, in addition to the saints and angels that appeared in the Gothic art of churches.
Romanesque art was the predecessor of Gothic art, also characterized by being deeply religious, represented by cathedrals located throughout the European continent..
The Gothic, for its part, recreated emblematic cathedrals full of light with a great height as main and different characteristics of Romanesque art.
On the other hand, in the minor arts, such as painting and sculpture, they were almost completely separated from Romanesque architecture; not only because of their differences in style, but also because of their particular evolution.
Likewise, it complies with the continuity of certain elements: the monastery continued to be the main institution that only varied in certain details and in adaptation to new ideas of art..
The plan of the Gothic churches continued to be of a Latin cross like the Romanesque ones with an apse facing east. The difference lies in the incorporation of the transept; an additional short central nave in a Latin cross plan, in addition to naves, chapels and ambulatory.
Gothic art emphasized in order to free man from darkness and sin to bring him closer to the light. The new Christian buildings wanted to invite man to comply with the religious values of the time.
For this reason, Gothic construction techniques were characterized by the incorporation of light inside the churches. For the society of the time, God was synonymous with light and artistic illumination.
In this sense, the light was physical and not so much shaped by the paintings; It was a simulation of the divine light that came from heaven to illuminate the faces of the faithful.
Through the creation of the stained glass windows, the rose windows and with the play of striking colors, it was transformed into an unreal and symbolic space.
The Royal Abbey of Saint Denis, located in France, was the welcome to Gothic architecture characterized by its chapel crowns and its stained glass windows that the builders wanted to imitate throughout the century.
At this stage it was wanted to continue with the model of the old Romanesque churches, but with certain changes such as the elegant extensions, the chain of chapels and the popular luminous windows of Gothic architecture..
Another key feature is the so-called "ribbed vault"; formed by the crossing of two pointed barrel vaults. All the arches have their crowns at approximately the same level, a feat that the Romanesque architects could not achieve..
Half a century after the formation of Gothic architecture, in the year 1194, a great fire destroyed both the city of Chartres in France and its cathedral..
The only part of the cathedral that managed to be saved was the crypt, the western towers and the Royal Portal. Hence, they thought about its reconstruction when observing that the virgin's garment in the crypt had remained intact..
The new Cathedral of Chartres is considered the first construction of the High Gothic style. The hallmark of the High Gothic style is the use of raised buttresses and the elimination of Romanesque walls..
On the other hand, the new elevation of the high Gothic tripartite nave featured an arcade, a clerestory and large windows. With this result, it managed to enter much more light than the early Gothic constructions.
Suger was a French abbot, statesman, and historian born in 1081, known for being one of the first patrons of Gothic architecture and credited with popularizing the style..
According to some references, Suger was a confidant of the French kings Luis VI and Luis VII, reason why they decided to entrust to him, around the year 1137, the reconstruction of the great Church of Saint Denis; a funerary church for the French monarchs.
Suger began with the reconstruction of the Carolingian facade and designed another to be an echo of the Roman Arch of Constantine with its division into three parts, as well as large portals to alleviate congestion..
On the other hand, he designed a choir in which he placed stained glass windows with the intention of bringing light to the interior. In addition, he designed the pointed arch and the ribbed vault.
The Royal Abbey of Saint Denis is a medieval church located in a northern suburb of Paris. The church has a historical and architectural importance; its choir, completed in 1144, shows the first use of elements of Gothic architecture.
It is known for being the first temple built in the Gothic style by the renowned Suger, as well as being the burial place of the French monarchy..
Thanks to this temple, the stained glass windows were introduced to Gothic art, which allowed the access of natural light, causing visual effects when passing through the striking colors of the glass.
Gothic painting was characterized by its rigid, simple and in some cases natural forms. It began to be used to decorate the altarpiece (ornamental panel behind the altar), most with scenes and figures from the New Testament, the passion of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
The color gold was used as the background of the paintings with a refined decoration with minute details. Later, the paintings were changing their theme to a less religious and more chivalrous with historical events.
In addition, religious and secular themes were represented in illuminated manuscripts with Gothic styles..
The use of glass took off in Europe due to the artistic works made with this material, in addition to the fact that they were used in large areas, such as rosettes and windows. To paint the glasses, black paint was used, bright colors and, later, the use of yellow was increased.
Duccio Buonunsegna was one of the greatest Italian painters of the Middle Ages and founder of the Siena school. Duccio's art was based on the Italo-Byzantine tradition, reformed by a classical evolution, with a new spirituality the Gothic style.
The largest of all his works is the altarpiece in the Cathedral of Siena, known as “Maestà”. Duccio's style was similar to that of Byzantine art, with gilded backgrounds and familiar religious scenes. The Italian Gothic painter managed to conquer the medium thanks to his precision and delicacy.
La Maestà is an altarpiece composed of a series of individual paintings commissioned by the city of Siena to the Italian artist Duccio, between the years 1308 and 1311 located in the Cathedral of Siena, Italy.
The front panels make up a large Virgin with a child surrounded by saints and angels, as well as a scene from the childhood of Christ with the prophets.
Gothic sculpture was closely linked to architecture through its use to decorate the exteriors of cathedrals. The first Gothic sculptures were stone figures of saints, of the Holy Family and used to decorate the doors of cathedrals.
During the 12th and early 13th centuries, sculptures became more relaxed and naturalistic in their treatment, compared to Romanesque sculpture..
While the sculpture retained the monumentality of the Romanesque, they have individualized faces and figures, as well as natural gestures that show a classical balance that suggests an awareness of ancient Roman models..
In the 14th century, Gothic sculpture became more refined, elegant, and delicate. It spread throughout Europe, and was known as the "international gothic style".
Veit Stoss was one of the greatest and most renowned wood carvers and sculptors of 16th century Germany and a characteristic of the late Gothic.
His style emphasized pathos and emotion, aided by a virtuous work of billowy curtains. Stoss is known for having made the altarpiece in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Krakow, Poland; a majestic altar carved in wood and painted between the years 1477 and 1489.
Late Gothic, or International Gothic, sculpture reveals greater restraint. Its compositional clarity was beyond monumental, although Stoss managed to make large sculptures in painted wood.
The Basilica of St. Mary in Krakow, Poland, of the Gothic style is mainly known for the painted wooden altarpiece made by the German Veit Stoss at the end of the 15th century.
The sculpture consisted of a triptych carved in wood and known for being one of the largest altarpieces in the world. It is approximately 13 meters high and 11 meters wide when the triptych panels are fully open.
The sculpted realistic figures are approximately 2.7 meters tall and each was carved from a lime tree trunk. When the panels are closed, twelve scenes from the life of Jesus and Mary are shown.
Yet No Comments