Gothic Art, pp. 187-198

Gothic heritage: the perfect church, the aesthetics

of structure; verticality of power

Structure and light, the Gothic cathedral as the

Heavenly Jerusalem

Gothic versus Romanesque architecture

Cathedral’s façade

Cathedral’s interior

Stained-glass windows

Flying buttresses

Gothic Sculpture

Progressive detachment from the

building

Freestanding sculpture: the Virgin

The word ‘Gothic’ wasfirst used during theRenaissance, as overtlypejorative,

It derived from thebarbarian Goths whosacked Rome in AD 410and again in 455

It was opposed to thedecorum of Classicalarchitecture

Gothic was rehabilitated inthe religious revival thatfollowed the FrenchRevolution,

as the approved style for newchurches;

Gothic was, in fact, consideredthe only style that was purelyChristian,

without influences from theClassical (pagan) world

James Renwick,

Saint Patrick's

Cathedral,

Construction

Completed: 1879,

New York

John

ROEBLING,

Brooklyn

Bridge, New

York City,

1869 -1883

On the other

hand, Gothic was

extremely

influential for

the modernist

idea of the

beauty of

structure

Cass GILBERT,

Woolworth

Building: view

from the air,

New York, 1913

Finally, the verticality of Gothic

architecture inspired early skyscrapers

- solution to the demographic density of

the modern metropolis

- but also as effective symbols of power

in the urban context

William VAN ALEN,

Chrysler Building

New York, 1930

Skyline of San

Gimignano, Italy 13th

century

Skyline of

Manhattan, USA,

20th century

Exterior:

Reims Cathedral, France, ca.

1225-1290

St-Trophime, Arles, France, ca.

1180

Main characteristics

of Gothic facade:

-Not 1 but 3

monumental

portals, bigger and

much more

decorated

-decoration of

Romanesque

portals was

amplified and

developed

everywhere

(no more the sober

simplicity of

Romanesque

buildings, but

triumphal richness)

Reims Cathedral, France, ca.

1225-1290

St-Trophime, Arles, France, ca.

1180

- More numerous

and larger windows

-Arches and

passages

everywhere:

sense of lightness

(vision of Heavenly

Jerusalem), rather

than volume and

heaviness (solidity)

-Verticality of

pointed arches and

pinnacles

-Proliferation of

images everywhere

more and more

sculptures

Roman style was the

common core of

Romanesque arch.

In the

Mediterranean area

(where the Roman

heritage was

stronger),

Romanesque lasted

for a longer period

The Gothic

architectural

revolution was born

in northern Europe,

and in particular in

northern France

Reims Cathedral, France, ca.

1225-1290

This corresponded to profound changes

in European society during the 13th

century

The center of both intellectual and

religious life shifted

from monasteries in the countryside and

pilgrimage churches to rapidly expanding

cities

While Romanesque Church (Church

Militant) presented itself as the only

solid support and shelter against

earthly ubiquitous evil

The great new Gothic cathedrals

(Church Triumphant) reaching the sky

presented itself as the Heavenly

Jerusalem

Context:

Reims Cathedral, France, ca.

1225-1290

Interior

As in the façade, also in the interior

verticality is the main characteristic of

Gothic architecture

Gothic interiors have a sense of

lightness: heavy stone-walls seem to be

lace-works

Even if in this sense Gothic is the

complete opposite of Romanesque

Its structure is the direct development

of Romanesque structure

Reims Cathedral, France, ca.

1225-1290

The Gothic rib groin

vault is a development

of

Interior

of

Saint-

Sernin,

Toulou

se,

France,

ca.

1070-

1120

The Romanesque

groin vault

however

Here, the groin

vaults of the aisles

had a structural

function: to

buttress the nave’s

barrel vault

Interior of

Saint-

Sernin,

Toulouse,

France, ca.

1070-1120

Gothic rib vault:

important not only for

the structure but also

in the building’s

beauty (decorative

function)

Influence of…

Dome, Great

Mosque,

Cordoba,

Spain, 961-

965

Islamic architecture was

probably also influential in

the Gothic invention of the

pointed arch

The heavy stones of

the vaulting,

however, press not

only downwards

but also sideways

Strong frames

were needed to

keep the whole

structure in shape

Reims Cathedral, France, ca.

1225-1290

Notre-Dame, Paris, France, begun

1163, nave and flying buttresses

ca. 1180-1200Gothic builders introduced

“flying buttresses” that kept

in the nave’s shape from

outside, across the roofs of

the aisles

As the ribs and pointed

arches, the flying buttresses

had a structural function but

also contribute to the vertical

quality, lightness, and

elegance of the exterior

They corresponded to the new

idea of the Church

Triumphant as the

representation on earth of the

Heavenly Jerusalem

Several, large

windows could

be opened

The Gothic Cathedral: light

Abbot Suger described the new

church image as

The realm of “wonderful and

uninterrupted light”

That poured through the “most sacred

windows”

He called the colored light “lux nova”

(new light)

Chartres Cathedral, north transept, Rose

and Lancet, 1220

Despite the vastly increased

size of the windows the

Gothic church is relatively

dark

The apparent contradiction

can be explained:

These windows were not

meant to illuminate the

interior with bright sunlight

But rather to transform

natural light into Suger’s

mystical lux nova

Reims Cathedral, France, ca.

1225-1290

Which was filtered

through the sacred

images and deep colors

of Gothic stained glass

windows

Stained glass shone like

rubies and emeralds that

corresponded to the

description of the

Heavenly Jerusalem

with its gates of pearl, its

priceless jewels, its

streets of pure gold and

glass (Revelation XXI)

Chartres Cathedral, north transept, Rose

and Lancet, 1220

The Passage to freestanding Sculpture

While the Romanesque master of Arles made his

figures of saints were fitted into the architectural

framework,

The master of the northern porch of the Gothic

cathedral of Chartres detached his figures from the

building

They are still extremely rigid: more similar to

columns than to human figures

Old Testament kings and queen,Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France,ca. 1145-1155

A few decades later, St.

Theodore is more natural

Model?

He is depicted as the ideal

Christian knight

Clothed in the cloak and chain-

mail armor of the Gothic

Crusaders

He is young and long-haired,

he holds his spear firmly in his

right hand, and rests his left

hand on his shield

Still part of the building, it is

however completely detached

from any architectural

element

Saint Theodore, Porch of

the Martyrs (left

doorway), south transept,

Chartres Cathedral,

Chartres, France, ca. 1230

The cult of the Virgin Mary reached a high point in the

Gothic age

She was the one who compassionately interceded with

Christ-Judge for all her faithful

Most French cathedrals of this period were dedicated to the

Virgin (Notre-Dame), symbol of the Church Triumphant

The severity of Romanesque themes stressing the Last

Judgment yielded to the gentleness of Gothic art

in which Mary is the kindly Queen of Heaven

Virgin and Child

(Virgin of Paris),

Notre-Dame, Paris,

France, Early 14th

century, detail

However, it was inside the cathedral that freestanding

statuary was achieved,

with the representation of the most venerated of the figures:

the Virgin

Significantly, as in Greek art, freestanding statuary

corresponded to a new focus on humanity, as

opposed to the previous obsession with afterlife

Praxiteles,

Hermes and the

infant Dionysos,

from the Temple

of Hera,

Olympia, copy

after an original

of ca. 340 BC,

marble

Virgin and

Child (Virgin

of Paris),

Notre-Dame,

Paris, France,

Early 14th

century

Gentle

sinuosity of the

S shape

Focus on the

human

relationship