Day 2
The Lecture
ID theses buildings and explain why they
exemplify the periods in which they occur.
ID, then place the three in order of appearance and
explain what, in general, is happening to Gothic
architecture.
-English Gothic style
-Not so high
-Double transept
-Emphasis on the soaring
tower
-Long nave, short
transept
-Fan vaults
-Organic
-English desire for knotting
references the Celtic
knotting form the early
medieval period
-Linked to the Flamboyant
style in France
-Perpendicular gothic
(unique to England)
• Perpendicular Style
• Fan Vaulting
• horizontal emphasis
in a long rectilinear
plan
• more emphasis on
the cross tower than
the façade
• less interest in
height
• Nave ends with a flat
wall rather than in a
round apse
German architecture remained
Romanesque until well into the
1200’s
Many churches only used the rib
vault
Took 600 years to build- they lost
the plans!
(work halted from the about 1550
to about 1850, when they found the
design plans)
Largest cathedral in northern
Europe
Giant nave (472 ft long)
Survived WWII bombings because of
its Gothic skeleton
Tries to out do the French in height.
Late to adopt the
gothic style
Try to outdo the
French in Height
Aisles the same
height as the Nave
Hallenkirche (hall
church)
No gallery
Triforium or
clerestory
Built by committee, with no one
architect in charge
Wide Italian nave
Gothic surface decoration
Based on flamboyant design w/
ornate tracery and lots of pinnacles
Before it was half finished Gothic
style was no longer fashionable- the
Renaissance had started!
So it combines elements of both the
Gothic and the RenaissanceIt took five centuries to complete
the cathedral.
It is one of the largest Gothic
cathedrals in the world.
Doge= Duke; ruler of Venice
Most ornate medieval Italian
government building
Ogee arches
Quatrefoils
Each story is taller than the one
below it
Light, not overloaded or heavy
feeling
White and pink marble
Short wide nave
Low
Gothic decoration
White stone
Flamboyant style
influence
• Figures emerge from
building
• Some interaction
w/world
• Focus on salvation
rather than
judgment
• Images of suffering
(Black Death)
• Gothic s-curve
-so called because they depict
kings and queens of the Old
Testament
- stand in front of the wall, no
longer flat against it
-upright and rigid, reflect the
vertical nature of the columns
-robes are almost hypnotic in
use of regular lines, no nervous
excitement as in Romanesque
sculpture
-classical influence in drapery,
stances
-heads look like they were inspired
by Roman portraits
-Contrapposto
-figures look like they are interacting
with one another, narrative
- Mary announces her pregnancy to
her cousin, St. Elizabeth who is
much older. Despite her age, she
will have a child, John the Baptist
-columns recede into the
background behind the figures
-Worldly queen , crown full of gems
-Ref, Hermes and Dionysus
Playful interaction between Mary and
Jesus
-S-curve becoming common, a
“rediscovery” of Classical statuary
-anatomy disguised under drapery
Is there a body under there?
-inorganic stancenot based on anatomy;
rather it was just an aesthetic choice:
they thought it looked elegant
-Idealized statues
-one of the twelve statues of the
benefactors that raised funds for
the original church constructed in
the 11th century
-Attached to columns
-Some original paint intact
-The body and drapery (clothes)
are distinct note the arm of Uta
under the folds
-Represents a rise of individual
importance, definite personalities
are present
Emotional, sets the tone for
German art
-Mary on her deathbed
-Copies the Reims Mary
-The twelve apostles and Mary
Magdalene surround her.
-Christ (center) receives his
mothers soul, represented by the
small doll in his hand
-Classical style
-Varied emotional response
creates the narrative
Which is
Romanesque and
which is Gothic?
How can you tell?
The suffering of the 14th century
(plague, famine, social strife) seen in
this piece
As you suffer so did Christ:
suffering is holy
Christ is distorted, emaciated,
bleeding, terribly wounded
Mary is expressed through her
oversized face which allows the viewer
to feel her grief all the more
Relates to a more “humanized”
audience
Meant to be viewed privately
• Figures emerge from
building
• Some interaction
w/world
• Focus on salvation
rather than
judgment
• Images of suffering
(Black Death)
• Gothic s-curve
-Manuscript
-Personal bible
-Top left Blanche of Castile
mother and Reagent
-Top right King Louis IX of
France, teenager
-Bottom older monk dictates to
younger scribe
-connection to stained glass lux
nova
light of god that shone through
the glass in the cathedrals
-Modeling is minimal=no
weight, color restricted
-connection to stained glass lux nova
light of god that shone through the glass in
the cathedrals
-Modeling is minimal=no weight, color
restricted
Thought to be made by the same artists
who made the glass windows for SainteChapelle
Rayonnant architecture in the background
Elegance
Two scenes of the same story
Sarah peeks in from tent
Gothic s-curve
-Rising levels of science are
depicted
-A return to a more Classical style
-God breaks the register with his
foot
-The gold represents the infinity
of space and the heavens
-God is the designer and to study
the world is to worship him, key
to the notions of the coming
protestant rebellion
Rising levels of science are depicted
Personal sketchbook of Villard de Hinnecourt
Both natural forms and buildings are based on
geometry
“Geometry is strong help in drawing figures”
Spiritual side to Geometry
Circles= eternity
Squares=mortality
Triangles= trinity
Intense colors look like glass
Look of piercing with bar
tracery
Court Style
Rayonnant style
Secular
Study of geometry
-Commissioned by Blanche
of Castile
- the fleur-de-lis is a
reference to the French
crown
- an excellent example of
Lux nova
-the rich light of God shines
through the stories of the
bible and touches you with
its warmth both spiritually
and physically
Early piece that survived the fire
of 1190 and was reused in the
refurbished cathedral.
Mary is beautiful, worldly queen
of Heaven
Above her is the Dove of the Holy
Spirit
Opposite of Byzantine mosaicswhich reflect light (glass
transmits light)
Early Christian
/Viking
Carolinian/Ottonian
Romanesque
Gothic
Hiberno Saxon
Carolinian
Ottonian
Romanesque
Gothic
• Discuss the innovations of Gothic Sculpture
• How a building/sculpture reflects the Gothic
ideas
• How the ideas of Abbott Suger changed
cathedral design, and what innovations were
created to accommodate these ideas.
• How is English/German or Italian Gothic
different from French Gothic.
• How does sculpture and architecture evolve
during the Gothic time period.
• Compare Gothic to Romanesque