The Age of the Great Cathedrals:

Gothic Art
ART ID 121 | Study of Western Arts
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD NYIT Center for Teaching and Learning with Technology

With modifications by Arch. Edeliza V. Macalandag, UAP

Gothic Art
The Gothic style originated in France around 1140. It spread to other parts of Europe and remained the dominant style in northern Europe for the next 400 years. Like the preceding Romanesque style, the Gothic style is defined largely in terms of architecture, with many regional variants. In many areas, especially Germany, Late Gothic art continued well into the 16th century, before being subsumed into Renaissance art.
Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century first used the word "Gothic" as a term of ridicule to describe late medieval art and architecture.

Gothic Art
Turmoil and change The Gothic age was a time of profound change in Europe. The Hundred Years War began, shattering the peace between France and England. The Black Death swept over western Europe and killed at least a quarter of its people. Opposing popes resided in Rome and in Avignon in southern France during the politicalreligious crisis known as the Great Schism.

Gothic Art
Primary media in the Gothic period included: Sculpture panel painting stained glass Fresco illuminated manuscripts

The easily recognizable shifts in architecture from Romanesque to Gothic, and Gothic to Renaissance styles, are typically used to define the periods in art in all media, although in many ways figurative art developed at a different pace.

Gothic Art
Themes & Features The earliest Gothic art was monumental sculpture, on the walls of Cathedrals and abbeys. Christian art was often typological in nature (see Medieval allegory), showing the stories of the New Testament and the Old Testament side by side. Saints' lives were often depicted. Images of the Virgin Mary changed from the Byzantine iconic form to a more human and affectionate mother, cuddling her infant, swaying from her hip, and showing the refined manners of a well-born aristocratic courtly lady.

Gothic Art
Themes & Features Secular art came in to its own during this period, influence by: the rise of cities foundation of universities increase in trade the establishment of a money-based economy the creation of a bourgeois class who could afford to patronize the arts and commission works resulting in a proliferation of paintings and illuminated manuscripts. increased literacy growing body of secular vernacular literature
With the growth of cities, trade guilds were formed and artists were often required to be members of a painters' guildas a result, because of better record keeping, more artists are known to us by name in this period than any previous; some artists were even so bold as to sign their names.

West Facade Abbey Church of Saint-Denis Saint Denis, France

1140-1144

The birthplace of Gothic architecture is the choir of the abbey church of Saint-Denis near Paris where an innovative use of rib vaults resting on pointed arches was first introduced. Because of the architectural lightness of the rib vault, supporting columns were made slender and masonry walls reduced in thickness or eliminated altogether. The outer walls were opened up and filled with stained-glass windows.

The Choir Abbey Church of Saint-Denis Saint Denis, France

1140-1144

The north transept rose shows the Creation.

Transept Rose Window Abbey Church of Saint-Denis Saint Denis, France

1140-1144

Innovative rib vaults resting on pointed arches cover the ambulatory and chapels at Saint-Denis. The lightness of these vaults enabled the builders to eliminate the walls between the chapels and open up the outer walls and fill them with stainedglass windows. The colored light seen through the stained-glass windows was called lux nova or new light.

Ambulatory and radiating chapels Abbey Church of Saint-Denis Saint Denis, France
1140-1144

Ambulatory and radiating chapels Abbey Church of Saint-Denis Saint Denis, France
1140-1144

Plan of the choir Vaults of the ambulatory and radiating chapels of the choir Abbey Church of Saint-Denis Saint Denis, France
1140-1144

The French medieval Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (French: Cathdrale Notre-Dame de Chartres) is a Latin Rite Catholic cathedral and is considered one of the finest examples of the French High Gothic style.

West facade of Chartres Cathedral Chartres, France

begun 1134, rebuilt beginning 1194

The building's exterior is dominated by heavy flying buttresses which allowed the architects to increase the window size significantly, while the west end is dominated by two contrasting spires one, a 105 metre (349 ft) plain pyramid dating from the 1140s, and the other a 113 metre (377 ft) tall early 16th century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower. Equally notable are the three great faades, each adorned with hundreds of sculpted figures illustrating key theological themes and narratives.

West facade of Chartres Cathedral Chartres, France

begun 1134, rebuilt beginning 1194

Royal Portal, west facade Chartres Cathedral Chartres, France | ca. 1145-1155

The sculptures of the west faade proclaim the majesty and power of Christ. To unite the three doorways iconographically and visually, the sculptors carved episodes from Christs life on the capitals, which form a kind of frieze linking one entrance to the next.

Saints Martin, Jerome, and Gregory, jamb statues from Porch of the Confessors Chartres Cathedral Chartres, France
ca. 1145-1155

The rose window and tall lancets of Chartres Cathedrals north transept were the gift of Blanche of Castile, the Queen of France. The stained-glass is held in place by an armature of stone bar tracery.

Rose Window and lancets north transept of Chartres Cathedral Chartres, France
ca. 1220 stained glass rose approximately 43 ft. in diameter

The tall, singlelancet window known as Notre Dame de la Belle Verrire shows the Virgin Mary crowned with a halo as the Queen of Heaven enthroned with the Christ Child in her lap.

Virgin and Child and Angels (Notre Dame de la Belle Verrire) choir of Chartres Cathedral Chartres, France
ca. 1170 stained glass 16 ft. x 7 ft. 8 in.

Jesse Tree West facade of Chartres Cathedral Chartres, France

ca. 1150-1170 stained glass

Despite the vastly increased size of the clerestory windows, the Chartres nave is relatively dark. These stained glass windows were not meant to illuminate the interior with bright sunlight but to transform natural light into Sugers mystical lux nova.

Nave of Chartres Cathedral Chartres, France

as rebuilt after 1194

Triforium wall of the nave Chartres Cathedral Chartres, France

ca. 1200-1260

The west front, with three porches, the centre one surmounted by a fine rose window of 1210, ranks next to that of Notre Dame de Paris in the purity of its Gothic style. Because of the use of white stone in the interior, however, the luminosity is remarkably greater than at NotreDame. The cathedral has stained glass of the 13th century and a chancel screen of the 18th century.

West faade of Laon Cathedral Laon, France

begun ca. 1190

West Faade Portals Laon Cathedral Laon, France | begun ca. 1190

The building is cruciform, and the choir terminates in a straight wall instead of in an apse. Of the seven planned towers flanking the faades, only five are complete to the height of the base of the spires, two at the west front, with life-size figures of oxen beneath the arcades of their upper portion, two more, one at each end of the transept, and a square central crossing tower that forms a lantern illuminating the crossing.

Plan and nave of Laon Cathedral Laon, France

begun ca. 1190

Transept Crossing Laon Cathedral Laon, France

begun ca. 1190

Laon Cathedral retains many Romanesque features, such as six-part rib vaults in the nave bays, but combined them with the Gothic rib vault, with its pointed arches. A new feature is the arcaded triforium below the clerestory and a less compartmentalized and more unified interior nave space. The deep porches in front of the doorways on the west faade, and the open structure of the towers, reduce the wall mass and replace it with intricately framed voids.

nave of Laon Cathedral Laon, France

begun ca. 1190

Clerestory Triforium Gallery Arcade

Laon

Paris

Chartres

Amiens

Gothic nave elevations

Gothic Rib Vaults

South faade of Notre Dame Cathedral Paris, France

begun 1163, nave & flying buttresses ca. 1180-1200, remodeled after 1225

Amiens cathedral is the tallest complete cathedral in France, its stonevaulted nave reaching a height of 42.30 metres (138.8 ft) (surpassed only by the incomplete Beauvais Cathedral). It also has the greatest interior volume of any French cathedral, estimated at 200,000 cubic metres.

Robert de Luzarches, Thomas de Cormont, and Renaud de Cormont West facade of Amiens Cathedral Amiens, France
begun 1220

Robert de Luzarches, Thomas de Cormont, and Renaud de Cormont East facade of Amiens Cathedral Amiens, France | begun 1220

Amiens Cathedral employed a buttressing system that permitted thick weight-bearing walls to be virtually eliminated and allowed the four-part rib vaults to be built very high. The walls and towers of the west faade are deeply pierced. Remaining surfaces are decorated with a network of colonnettes, arches, pinnacles, rosettes, and other decorative stonework.

Robert de Luzarches, Thomas de Cormont, and Renaud de Cormont East facade of Amiens Cathedral Amiens, France | begun 1220

Like Amiens, the cathedral at Reims is in the High Gothic style. Architecturally and sculpturally the design is taller, narrower, and more intricately decorated. Stainedglass windows replace the stone relief sculpture in the tympanums over the doorways. The kings of France were once crowned here.

West faade of Reims Cathedral Reims, France

begun ca. 1225-1290

Nave of Reims Cathedral Reims, France

begun ca. 1225-1290

The jamb statues of the west portals of Reims Cathedral appear more detached from their architectural background. The full-bodied figures are given free and unrestricted movements. The Visitation group reveals a classicizing, naturalistic taste.

Visitation jamb statues of central doorway west facade of Reims Cathedral Reims, France
ca. 1230

Sainte-Chapelle in Paris is an example of the Rayonnant style of the High Gothic. The walls have been all but eliminated and replaced by stained glass.

Sainte-Chapelle Paris, France

1243-1248

interior of the upper chapel Sainte-Chapelle Paris, France

1243-1248

Virgin and Child (Virgin of Paris) Notre-Dame Paris, France

early 14th century

The church of Saint-Maclou in Rouen is built in the Flamboyant style. The doorways are crowned with ornate gables pierced through and filled with decorative webs of wiry, curving, "flickering" Flamboyant tracery.

West faade Church of Saint-Maclou Rouen, France

ca. 1500-1540

The church of SaintMaclou in Rouen is built in the Flamboyant style. The doorways are crowned with ornate gables pierced through and filled with decorative webs of wiry, curving, "flickering" Flamboyant tracery.

West faade Church of Saint-Maclou Rouen, France

ca. 1500-1540

West faade Church of Saint-Maclou Rouen, France

ca. 1500-1540

One of the many signs of the growing secularization of urban life in the late Middle Ages was the erection of monumental meeting halls and warehouses for the increasing number of craft guilds that were being formed throughout Europe.

Hall of the Cloth Guild Bruges, Netherlands

begun. 1230

The house of Jacques Coeur is the best-preserved example of Late Gothic domestic architecture. Built on an irregular plan with an open courtyard, the tall central section of the faade has a steep pyramidal roof, a spire-capped tower with Flamboyant tracery, a large pointedarch stained-glass window, and two doorways. The external faade also includes a pair of false windows with life-size relief sculptures of a male and a female servant.

House of Jacques Coeur Bourges, France

14431451 begun. 1230

Book manufacture shifted from monasteries and convents to urban workshops operated by laymen who employed specialists with various skills. The painted illustrations (illuminations) reflect contemporary stainedglass window designs and architectural elements. Geometry played both a symbolic and a practical role in Gothic art and architecture. Gothic architects based their designs on the art of geometry. Villard de Honnecourts personal sketchbook demonstrates the value of the art of geometry.

Villard de Honnecourt Figures based on geometric shapes folio 18 verso of a sketchbook from Paris, France
ca. 1220-1235 ink on vellum 9 1/4 x 6 in.

Book manufacture shifted from monasteries and convents to urban workshops operated by laymen who employed specialists with various skills. The painted illustrations (illuminations) reflect contemporary stainedglass window designs and architectural elements. Geometry played both a symbolic and a practical role in Gothic art and architecture. Gothic architects based their designs on the art of geometry. Villard de Honnecourts personal sketchbook demonstrates the value of the art of geometry.

Villard de Honnecourt Figures based on geometric shapes folio 18 verso of a sketchbook from Paris, France
ca. 1220-1235 ink on vellum 9 1/4 x 6 in.

God as architect of the world folio 1 verso of a moralized Bible from Paris, France
ca. 1220-1230 ink, tempera and gold leaf on vellum 13 1/2 x 8 1/4 in.

The dedication page of a moralized Bible shows Blanche of Castile and her son Louis enthroned beneath triple-lobed arches and miniature cityscapes that are reminiscent of the architectural canopies above the heads of contemporaneous French portal statues. Below, a monk dictates a sacred text to a scribe. Such books were produced in the workshops in which worked many specialized artists, scribes, and assistants.

Blanche of Castille, Louis IX and two monks dedication page (folio 8 recto) of a moralized Bible from Paris, France
1226-1234 ink, tempera and gold leaf on vellum 15 x 10 1/2 in.

The radiance of stained glass probably inspired the glowing color of the Psalter of Saint Louis. The painted architectural setting reflects the design of royal buildings such as Sainte-Chapelle. The elegant proportions, facial expressions, theatrical gestures, and swaying poses of the painted figures are characteristic of the mannered Parisian court style

Abraham and the Three Angels folio 7 verso of the Psalter of Saint Louis from Paris, France
1253-1270 ink, tempera and gold leaf on vellum 5 x 3 1/2 in.

The delicate hands and gestures and the elegant swaying postures of figures in a breviary illuminated by Master Honor are typical of Parisian painting of this time. Master Honor gives his figures a naturalistic sculptural volume but they are not illusionistically three-dimensional.

Master Honor David anointed by Samuel and battle of David and Goliath folio 7 verso of the Breviary of Phillipe le Bel from Paris, France
1296 ink and tempera on vellum 7 7/8 x 4 7/8 in.

The decorated text page in the Belleville Breviary by Jean Pucelle shows fully modeled figures in three-dimensional architectural settings rendered in convincing perspective. The plants, animals, and insects are based upon a close observation of the natural world.

Jean Pucelle David before Saul folio 24 verso of the Belleville Breviary from Paris, France
1325 ink and tempera on vellum 9 1/2 x 6 3/4 in.

A virgin for Saint-Denis: Elegant proportions, a swaying posture, heavy drapery folds, and intimate human characterizations are seen in the silver-gilt figurine (and reliquary) of the Virgin of Jeanne dEvreux.

Virgin of Jeanne dEvreaux from the abbey church of Saint-Denis Saint-Denis, France
1339 silver gilt and enamel 27 1/2 in. high

Among the luxury objects produced at this time is a womans jewelry box adorned with ivory relief panels illustrating a theme related to the Romance of the Rose. On the sides of the casket is depicted the legend of the unicorn, a medieval allegory of female virtue.

The Castle of Love and knights jousting lid of a jewelry casket from Paris, France
ca. 1330-1350 ivory and iron 4 1/2 x 9 3/4 in.

In the second half of the 13th century, many architects throughout Western Europe reconstructed or reconstructed churches opre francigeno (in the French manner) - that is, in the Gothic style of France. The structures were usually modified, however, according to local preferences.

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury, England

1220-1258; west faade completed 1265; spire ca. 1320-1330

In contrast to French desire for vertical height, English Gothic architecture at first is characterized by an emphasis on horizontality with a wide and squat faade and a long rectilinear plan. In Salisbury Cathedral, the light stone of the walls and vaults contrasts with the dark Purbeck marble used for the triforium moldings and corbels, compound pier responds, and other details.

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury, England

1220-1258

Nave of Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury, England

1220-1258

Nave of Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury, England

1220-1258

Cloister Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury, England

1220-1258

Over time, the surfaces of piers, walls, and vaults are covered with increasingly complex decorative patterns (the Decorated Style), which developed into a style with a pronounced emphasis on the vertical (the Perpendicular Style).

Choir of Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester, England

1332-1357

Henry VII's chapel also housed the king's tomb in the form of a large stone coffin with sculpted portraits of Henry and his queen, Elizabeth of York, lying on their backs. This type of tomb is familiar in the churches of Late Gothic England. A freestanding tomb in Gloucester Cathedral shows the recumbent figure of Edward II. A Perpendicular Gothic canopy encases the coffin with delicate alabaster and Purbeck marble gables, buttresses, and pinnacles. The ogee arches are characteristic the Late Gothic.

Tomb of Edward II Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester, England

ca. 1330-1335

The Chapel of Henry VII adjoining Westminster Abbey in London shows the uniquely English "fan vault" comprised of large hanging pendants or cones hanging down from the ceiling and decorated with intricate tracery.

Chapel of Henry VII Westminster Abbey London, England | 1503-1519

Cologne is the largest cathedral in northern Europe. The 14thcentury choir has double lancets in the triforium, tall single windows in the clerestory above, and an arcade below.

Gerhard of Cologne Cologne Cathedral Cologne, Germany

begun 1248

Gerhard of Cologne Cologne Cathedral Cologne, Germany

begun 1248

Gerhard of Cologne Cologne Cathedral Cologne, Germany

begun 1248

Saint Elizabeth Marburg, Germany

1235-1283

In a "hall church" (Hallenkirche), the nave and aisles are the same height. The design is more unified and allows more light to enter the interior.

nave of Saint Elizabeth Marburg, Germany

1235-1283

Death of the Virgin tympanum of left doorway, south transept Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg, France | ca. 1230

Eckehard and Uta statues in the west choir Naumburg Cathedral Naumburg, Germany
ca. 1249-1255 painted limestone 6 ft. 2 in. high

Bamberg Rider statue in the east choir Bamberg Cathedral Bamberg, Germany
ca. 1235-1240 sandstone 7 ft. 9 in. high

Virgin with the Dead Christ Rttgen Piet from the Rhineland, Germany
ca. 1300-1325 painted wood 2 ft. 10 1/2 in. high

Arm Reliquary of Charlemagne from Aachen, Germany

1481 gilt silver and enamel 85 cm high

Nicholas of Verdun Klosterneuburg Altar from the abbey church at Klosterneuburg, Austria
1181 | gilded copper and enamel | 3 ft. 6 3/4 in. high

Nicholas of Verdun Klosterneuburg Altar from the abbey church at Klosterneuburg, Austria
1181 gilded copper and enamel 3 ft. 6 3/4 in. high overall

Nicholas of Verdun Shrine of the Three Kings from Cologne Cathedral Cologne, Germany
ca. 1190 silver, bronze, enamel and gemstones 5 ft. 8 in. x 6 ft. x 3 ft. 8 in.

Milan Cathedral Milan, Italy

begun 1386

Cimabue Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets

ca. 1280-1290 tempera on wood 12 ft. 7 in. x 7 ft. 4 in.

Giotto di Bondoone Madonna Enthroned

ca. 1310 tempera on wood 10 ft. 8 in. x 6 ft. 8 in.

Duccio di Buoninsegna Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints from the Maest altarpiece from Siena Cathedral, Siena, Italy
1308-1311 | tempera on wood | 7 ft. x 13 ft.

Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi Annunciation

1333 tempera and gold leaf on wood 10 ft.1 in. x 8 ft. 8 3/4 in.

Claus Sluter Well of Moses Chartreuse de Champmol, Dijon, France

1395-1406 stone figures approximately 6 ft. high

Limbourg Brothers May from Les Trs Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
1413-1416 ink, tempera and gold leaf on vellum 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.

Richard de Bello(?) Mappamundi of Henry III

ca. 1277-1289 tempera on vellum 5 ft. 2 in. x 4 ft. 4 in.

Sources http://www.wadsworth.com/art_d/templates/student_resources/015505 0907_kleiner/studyguide/ch18/ch18_1.html http://websites.swlearning.com/cgiwadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0155 050907&discipline_number=436 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_art Art Through the Ages, 12th/11th ed., Gardner