Gothic Art & Architecture

The term “Gothic” was first used in 1550 as a term of ridicule for those (the Goths) that were responsible for the
downfall of Rome and who had replaced the Greco-Roman classical art with a style that was both ugly and crude. Before
that however, in the 13th and 14th centuries, the people of the time had fallen in love with the new style. The new
cathedrals that adorned their city skies were images of the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and the people were
privileged to have it in their cities. This is the age of the cathedrals.
Events occurring in Europe during this era will greatly impact the art and architecture, such as the Hundred
Years’ War which shattered the peace between England and France. The Black Death swept over Western Europe and
killed over a quarter of the population. The Great Schism, a political religious crisis from 1378 to 1417 in which opposing
popes resided in Rome and Avignon. The Gothic age was a time of profound change in European society. Religious
structures started to stray from the countryside and expand in urban cities. Scholars founded the first modern
universities. The independent secular nations of modern Europe were beginning to take shape, France being the
foremost of them.

Abbey Church of Saint-Denis; Saint-Denis, France ambulatory and radiating chapels 1140 – 1144

Art historians all agree that this is the place of the Gothic architecture. Saint Dionysius (Denis in French) was the
apostle who brought Christianity to Gaul and who died a martyr’s death. It was there that the Benedictine order
founded the abbey at Saint-Denis in the 7th century on the site of his burial. In the 9th century, the monks constructed a
basilica at Saint-Denis which housed the saint’s tomb as well as those of almost all the French kings dating back to the 6th
century. Also, held there is a crimson military banner that was said to belong to Charlemagne.

In 1122, a monk named Suger became abbot of Saint-Denis which by then, was in disrepair, was too small to
house the growing number of pilgrims, and was seen as unfit to be the official church of the French kings. So, by 1135,
Suger began to reconstruct the church by erecting a new west façade with sculptured portals. In 1140, work began on
the east end and unfortunately Suger died before he could reconstruct the nave. He did attend the dedication of the
new choir, ambulatory, and radiating chapels in 1144 as did King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and
five archbishops.

The remodeled portion of Saint-Denis represented a sharp break from past practice. Innovative rib vaults resting
on pointed (or ogival) arches cover the ambulatory and chapels. The lightness of the vaults enabled the builders to
eliminate the walls between the chapels and open up the outer walls and fill them with stained glass (lux nova or new
light) windows. The new type of vaulting and the use of stained glass windows became the hallmarks of French Gothic
architecture.

Much of the sculpture on the west façade did not survive the French Revolution. But, a restored large central
rose window (a circular stained glass window) became standard in French Gothic architecture punctuates the facades
upper story.

Virgin of Jeanne d’Evreux, from the abbey church of Saint Denis, France, 1339. Silver gilt and enamel, 2’ 3 ½
“high. (image 18-35 in your book).

The royal family patronized artists specializing in the production of luxury works in metal and enamel for churches,
palaces, and private homes. Popular statuettes were those of the sacred family, more specifically, the Virgin Mary. The
most popular of these costly statues is one named Virgin of Jeanne d’Evereux made of silver gilt and enamel.

Mary stands on a rectangular base decorated with enamel scenes of Christ’s Passion. The Christ child playfully reaches
for his mother whose face shown no sign or hint of grief. This one is very similar in stance and heavy drapery folds as the
Virgin of Paris (see below). Again, we notice the fact that a crown and scepter are seen with Mary who further
emphasizes that she is Queen of Heaven. The fleur-de-lis is very special because it was not only for decoration, but it
doubled as a reliquary because it contained hairs believed to come from Mary’s head.

Notre-Dame Paris; Paris, France begun 1163 nave and flying buttresses ca. 1180 – 1200

In 1130, Louis VI decided to move his official residence to Paris which caused much commercial activity and a
great building boom. This decision also made Paris the leading city of France and thus a new cathedral became a
necessity. Notre Dame resides on an Island in the Seine River called Ile-de-la-Cite. This magnificent structure has a rather
complicated building history: the choir and transept were completed by 1182, the nave about 1225, and the façade not
until around 1250 -1260. The original design called for four stories, but the architects decided later upon construction
that the upper stories would be windows (oculi – small circular windows – plural of oculus). This new idea meant that
there wasn’t a lot of room for masonry work on the much thinner (and taller) walls and in order to support them, an
unknown architect introduced flying buttresses (exterior arches that spring from the lower roofs over the aisled and
ambulatory and counter the outward thrusts of the nave vaults). The combination of precisely positioned flying
buttresses and rib vaults with pointed arches was the ideal solution of constructing towering naves with huge windows.
This new concept of the flying buttress became a distinctive ‘look’ of Gothic cathedrals.

The Virgin of Paris (Notre Dame, Paris), early 14th century

The best example of the Late French court style in sculpture is the statue nicknamed “Virgin of Paris” because of its
location in the Parisian Cathedral of Notre-Dame. (FYI: Notre-Dame = Our Lady = Virgin Mary). Here, the sculptor
portrayed Mary as a worldly queen in royal garments and wearing a heavy gem-encrusted crown. The Christ infant is
equally dresses in royal clothing.

Seeing the mother and child interact in a playful way is very reminiscent of the Greek sculpture of Hermes and the infant
Dionysos by Praxitles. This sculpture too, represents a further humanization of the portrayal of religious figures in Gothic
sculpture. Like the Greek sculpture, this too demonstrates a distinguishable curve. Mary superficially resembles the
Praxitlian ‘S’ curve but the difference is that then, in the 4th century BCE, the Greeks were more inspired by the way the
body moved and tried to capture it. Here, the Gothic sculptor focuses more on the desired effect of elegance that had
nothing to do with body movement.

West Façade of Laon Cathedral, Leon, France. Begun ca. 1190 (image 18-07)

Laon builders retained many Romanesque features in their designs; they also combined them with the rib vault resting
on pointed arches. A new feature in the Laon interior is the triforum which is the band of arcades below the clerestory. It
occupies the space corresponding to the exterior strip of wall covered by the sloping timber roof above the galleries. The
purpose of the triforum was to break up the continuous wall surfaces.

Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France begun 1134, rebuilt after 1194

Work on the west façade also known as the “Royal Portal” began in 1145. The Royal Portal is named so because of the
statue-columns of kings and queens flanking the doorways. The portals and the massive west tower are the exterior
remains of the original Chartres. A fire in 1194 burned everything else and reconstruction started soon after that. From
1194 on, everything that was reconstructed was done so in the High Gothic Style. (For sake of chronological order, the
next pieces of information will only discuss before 1194).

Royal Portal, the west façade of Chartres, c. 1145-1155

The sculptures of the west façade proclaim the majesty and power of Christ, so equally the iconography uniting the
façade would have to be as well. The capitals in between the doorways are carved episodes from the life of Christ.
Together, visually this concept gives the illusion of one entire frieze.
In the tympanum on the right portal, Christ appears in the lap of the Virgin Mary (Notre-Dame). This image recalls the
Byzantine representations of the Theotokos. In the lintel under them are scenes from his early life. Seeing Mary so often
on church portals is a definite theme of the Gothic period. In Romanesque art and architecture, she is not seen on the
church’s exterior. Because of this Gothic characteristic of placing Mary on the outside so she was visible for all to see,
she gained a lot of popularity. In fact, the cult of the Virgin Mary reached a high point in the Gothic Age. Being the
mother of Christ, worshippers in the 12th and 13th centuries sang hymns to her, placed her image everywhere, and even
dedicated cathedrals to her. Mary became the spiritual lady of chivalry and the Christian knight dedicated his life to her.
Mary is the Queen of Heaven.

The left portals tympanum is Christ’s Ascension into Heaven. All around the archivolts are signs of the zodiac which
represent the months of the year (cosmic and earthly worlds). The center portal’s tympanum shows the Second Coming.
The signs of the four Evangelists, the twenty-four Elders of the Apocalypse and the twelve Apostles all appear around
Christ (or on the lintel).

The difference between the Romanesque view of the Second Coming and the Gothic’s view is that the Romanesque is of
damnation where as the Gothic is of salvation.

Old Testament kings and queens, jamb statues, central doorway of Royal Portal, Chartres Cathedral, France
ca 1145-1155.

The decorations on the jambs flanking each doorway of the Royal Portal are statues of Old Testament kings and queens.
They are the royal ancestors of Christ and literally (as well as figuratively) support the New Testament figures above the
door ways.

The figures stand upright with their elbows close to their hips. The linear folds in their 12th century style garments are
that of Romanesque inheritance and echo the vertical lines of the columns behind them. DO NOT get these confused
with the caryatids from classic Greece! The Gothic figures are attached to the columns where as the classical caryatids
replaced the columns.

Although these statues are restricted in movement, they display the first signs of a new naturalism. They stand out from
the plane of the wall. This new naturalism is very noticeable in their heads, where kindly human faces replace the mask-
like Romanesque figures.

CHARTRES AFTER 1194

Due to fires occurring in these larger, often timber roofed churches, officials had to raise money for the reconstruction
of them. Sometimes, these ‘contributions’ did not come voluntarily which would slow the building process down. Also,
sometimes natural occurrences such as wars, famines, and plagues would halt construction of the church. Another
reason for the church’s rebuilding being stopped would be when the town and cathedral officials are in a conflict. Such
as the instance here would be that when Chartres was in its rebuilding process, the town revolted against the heavier
tax burden and the townspeople stormed the bishop’s residence and drove him into exile for four years.

The fire at Chartres, which we have covered, burned down the majority of the structure. In the interior, the remains
were the crypt that housed the mantle of the Virgin. This and the exterior made up for the new plans for rebuilding.
When architects started designing the new part of the cathedral, they decided it would be done in High Gothic style and
in fact, art historians consider this to be the first built in that manner.

This new plan at Chartres reveals a new kind of organization. Rectangular nave bays replaced that of the square ones. A
change in vault design and the abandonment of the alternate-support system is just a small portion of the changes made
at Chartres. The new High Gothic vault covered a smaller area and only had four parts. The visual effect was to unify the
interior so that viewers saw them in too rapid a sequence to perceive them as individual volumes of space.
The Chartres Cathedral was the first to have been planned from the beginning with the use of flying buttresses. The
strategic placement of these permitted the construction of walls with so many voids that heavy masonry played a minor
role.

Notre-Dame de la Belle Verriere, Chartres Cathedral, c. 1170

Although the increased size of the clerestory windows, the interior of Chartres is rather dark. This is because the
windows are of stained glass. Although it has a dimming effect, it transforms the character of the interior in dramatic
fashion.

One window that also survived the fire of 1194 is what the French call “Notre-Dame de la Belle Verriere” or Our Lady of
the Beautiful Window. This window dates back to 1170 and shows the Virgin Mary with the Christ child in her lap. The
angels seen against a blue background were added when the window was reinstalled in the 13th century. Here, Mary is
seen as a young and beautiful Queen of Heaven with the dove of the Holy Spirit accompanying her.

Comparing this image of Mary and the infant Christ to the Byzantine Theotokos and child in the Hagia Sophia, both
images incorporate the use of light, but in completely different ways. In the Byzantine mosaics, light was reflected and
illuminated the images where as in the Gothic; light shines from the outside to brighten the biblical figures.

North Rose Window at Chartres, ca. 1220

A gift from the Queen of France was a rose window and lancets. This installation was made possible due to the
introduction of the flying buttresses. The rose window is about 43 feet in diameter and the entire installation was
designed to cover the wall.

Under the rose window you can see yellow castles against a red background and a yellow fleur-de-lis against a blue
background. In the center of the rose are the enthroned Virgin and Child – which resembles a gem studded book cover
or cloisonné brooch. Around Mary are four doves of the Holy Spirit and eight angels. Twelve square panels contain
images of Old Testament kings which include David (12 o’clock) and Solomon (1 o’clock). These are the royal ancestors
of Christ.

Below in the lancets are Saint Anne and the baby Virgin flanked by four of Christ’s Old Testament ancestors:
Melchizedek, David, Solomon, and Aaron.

Saints Martin, Jerome, and Gregory, jamb statues from the Porch of the Confessors, south transept of
Chartres Cathedral, c. 1220-1230

The three figures from the Porch of the Confessors in the south transept reveal the great changes that Gothic sculpture
underwent since the Royal Portal. (Think of the dramatic change from Archaic Greece to Classical style of Greece). The
three figures date from 1220-1230 and represent Saints: Martin, Jerome, and Gregory. As you notice them, they are still
attached to the columns – but – in this instance the columns do not determine their poses as much as they did before.

Another huge difference is the drapery that the saints are wearing. Before it accented the columns with its vertical
stiffness but here, the drapery folds are not at all stiff, rather soft and flow with the body. Their faces too are a
significant change because they are so different from one another. The sculptor gave each man a distinct look and did
not contrast them simply from poses and gestures, rather with their personalities.

Reims Cathedral, Reims, France ca. 1225 – 1290

Reims is similar to Amiens in that they both carried the High Gothic Style but there are also some significant differences.
One is the king’s gallery of statues, at Reims it is placed above the rose window (which is framed by a pointed arch).The
most significant difference is the tympanums with their stained glass instead of figural carved narratives.
Annunciation and Visitation door jambs, west façade of Reims Cathedral, France

Don’t think that the figural sculpture only appears on the upper parts of the exterior – the jambs portray fully ripened
Gothic style of sculpture as well. Here we see that the sculptor enhances the figures by shrinking the columns behind
them to insignificant pieces. By doing this, the images aren’t restricted of movement and we can witness this by the
image of Saint Elizabeth and Mary conversing. Whoever the sculptor was, they seemed to have studied ancient Roman
works of art rather in depth. Seen here, the images are in contrapposto, which is evident by the hips swayed and the
knees piercing the garments.

Here at Reims the formerly isolated Gothic jambs are transformed into actors in a biblical narrative.

Interior of the upper chapel, Sainte – Chapelle, Paris, France, 1243-1248 (18-23 in your book)

The idea of incorporating stained glass over the tympanum sparked a whole new set of ideas. As seen at Sainte-Chapelle
the architect created the dissolution of walls and the reduction of the bulk were carried out through some 6, 450 sq. feet
of stained glass. Sainte-Chapelle’s enormous windows flood the interior with an unearthly rose-violet atmosphere.

God as Architect of the World, foli 1 verso of a moralized Bible, from Paris, France, ca 1220-1230. Ink,
tempera, and gold leaf on vellum. 1’ 1 ½ “X 8 ¼”

The city of Paris was a renowned center for the production of fine books. The Gothic period is when book manufacture
shifted from monks to urban workshops staffed by laypersons. The production of Moralized Bibles – which are heavily,
illustrated pages with episodes of Old and New Testament paintings with explanations of their moral significance – were
produced in Paris during the 1220s.

Seen here is the introduction page to the book. We see God appearing as the architect of the world – shaping the world
with a compass. Seen inside the perfect circle are the sun and moon and an unformed matter that will be the earth.
Seen above him is an inscription by the scribe who created this that states “Here God creates heaven and earth, the sun
and moon and all the elements.” As opposed to the Biblical account for creation (“Let there be…” command), the Gothic
artist portrayed God as an industrious architect that used mortal tools for building.

MASTER HONORE, David anointed by Samuel and Battle of David and Goliath, folio 7 verso of the Breviary
of Philippe le Bel, from Paris, France, 1296. Ink and tempera on vellum, 7 7/8” X 4 7/8”.

One artist who produced books for the French Court was Master Honoré. He illuminated a breviary (book of selected
prayers and psalms). Here we see a page from that illustrating two scenes involving David. Above Samuel anoints David
and below David prepares to hurl his slingshot at the giant Goliath. We see Goliath touching the wound on his forehead
and then we see David slaying the giant – all in true narrative form.

Honoré’s linear treatment of hair, delicate hands and gestures as well as the swaying postures are typical of Parisian
paintings of the time. However, he was interested in giving his figures sculptural volume and showing the play of light on
their bodies.

He pioneered naturalism in illuminations of his time and did not embrace the classical notion that a painting should be
an illusionistic window into a 3D world.

JEAN PUCELLE, David before Saul, folio 24 verso of the Belleville Breviary, from Paris, France, ca. 1325. Ink
and tempera on vellum, 9 ½” X 6 ¾”.

David and Saul are a pretty popular subject matter because we see them here again in the Belleville Breviary. Pucelle
went far beyond that Honore in that he placed his figures in a three dimensional architectural setting using perspective.
The renditions of plants, birds, butterflies, etc. show an interest and close observation of the natural world which re-
emphasizes what Gothic artist are doing.

ENGLAND

Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England, 1220-1258; west façade completes 1265; spire ca. 1320-1330.
(image 18-37 in your book)

A very experienced architect in England had just been hired to rebuild a monastery church. This particular architect had
just returned from Paris and decided to build this church in the ‘Opere Francigeno’ or in the French Manner. European
architecture in England did not turn Gothic all at once – instead, it fused its ideas with the local preferences of
Romanesque; which created their own brand of Gothic architecture.

Salisbury Cathedral embodies the essential characteristics of English-Gothic architecture. Started the same year as
Amiens – the Salisbury was completed in 40 years and presents a striking contrast from French designs. The façade is in
front of the nave and is wider than the actual structure of the building. Also, the height at Salisbury is modest compared
to Reims and Amiens. Because of the lack of height, the architect used flying buttresses as a prop instead of an integral
part of the vaulting system.

Basically, the English builders used it superficial motifs of the French, but did not embrace its structural logic or sense of
height.

On the inside is another great difference. Although they used the three story elevation, pointed arches and compound
piers – the pier colonnettes stop at the springing of the nave arches and don’t connect with the vault ribs. This produces
a strong horizontal emphasis. The interior also is a contrast of light stone and dark marble used for the triforum
moldings and corbels and compound piers.

GERMANY

Gerhard of Cologne, Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany, begun 1248; nave, façade, and towers
completed 1880. (18-44 in your book).

This cathedral was began construction in 1248 and was not finished until 600 years later – making it one of the longest
building projects on record! Work halted from the mid 16th century to the mid 19th century when the original Gothic
architectural plans were found. From there, the Gothic/Gothic revival of style continued on the cathedral. The Cologne
Cathedral is the largest in Northern Europe and boasts a giant 422 foot long nave with two aisles on each side.

On the inside is a 150 foot high 14th century choir – similar to the one at Amiens. Both have double lancets in the
triforum and tall, slender single windows in the clerestory above and choir arcade below.

This structurally sound design held its ground during World War II when Cologne had been hit pretty hard with aerial
bombs. The windows were the only thing that blew out completely and the structure remained perfectly intact.

Death of the Virgin, tympanum of left doorway, south trancept, Strasbourg Cathedral. Strasbourg, France
ca. 1230. (image 18-48)

Here we witness the death of Mary. Around Mary are the twelve apostles in which together they form an arch of
mourners and demonstrate a very wide range of emotion. The creator of this tympanum must have studied the
Visitation door jamb at Reims due to the fall of the garments and look of Mary. At the center of the narrative we see
Christ receiving Mary’s soul which is represented by the doll like figure in his left hand. At the side of the death bed we
see Mary Magdalene wringing her hands in grief.
As it was in France, the same goes for Germany – the artist became increasingly interested in the humanization and the
naturalness of their art. We see that trend here in which the passionate drama is emphasized.

Ekkehard and Uta, statues in the west choir, Naumburg Cathedral, Naumburg, Germany, ca. 1249-1255.
Painted limestone, approx. 6’2” high. (image 18-49)

As seen above, the sculptor created the work of a dramatic scene in a very dramatic way. This is the complete opposite
of the Naumburg statues. The task was to carve statues of the twelve benefactors of the original 11th century church for
a fund raising campaign.

The two statues shown here are completely attached to their columns and stand beneath architectural canopies.
Because of the location of them indoors is the reason that the original paint still exists. Although these images never
actually sat for their portraits to be carved, the sculptor did an amazing job of capturing the like-ness of them. Also,
although the time period of Ekkehard and his wife Uta dates back to the 11th century, the style of the Gothic is still seen
through the delicate and life like folds of drapery, and the naturalness of the hand holding the cloth of Uta’s gown up.

As seen with these two images, by the mid 13th century, life images of secular personages had found their way into
churches.

Virgin with the Dead Christ (Rottgen Pieta), from the Rhineland, Germany, ca. 1300-1325. Painted wood, 2’
10 ½ “high. Rheinisches Landemuseum, Bonn. (image 18-51)

This haunting image contrasts the very naturalistic images that we have seen throughout the Gothic style of art. Here we
see Mary holding the dead Christ in her lap. This image was created due to the onset suffering that had been occurring
in Germany at the time such as war, famine, and social strife. Because of this, the people were much more aware of
suffering and grieving. This image gave the people the reassurance that even Mary and Christ had suffered the
devastation of humanly woes.

Seen here, the artist overly exaggerated the human suffering and portrays Christ as a stunted and distorted human
wreck. We see blood streaming from his body as the mother cradles her young in her lap. Her oversized head with an
expression of unbearable grief is to make sure that everyone can see the horror that has occurred.

This image is nothing at all alike the other images of Mary and Christ that we have seen from the Byzantine,
Romanesque, or Gothic style. This is partially due to the artist creating them the way he did. His reaction from viewers
was to speak to them and ask “What is your suffering compared to this?”

By the 14th century, art work had steered away from only being appealing and beautiful to the whole and rather was
created to speak to the individual.

Milan Cathedral, Milan, Italy, began 1386.

When Milan citizens decided that they wanted a cathedral of their own, they brought in experts from France, England,
and Germany, as well as Italy to think collectively and come up with one plan for the city. However, things don’t always
go as you plan and when you get that many experts together, they each disagreed with the other. The result was a
compromise, and the Milan Cathedral was created. The nave (more specifically, the height of it) was Italian and the
surface decorations remained Gothic. By the time the façade was ready to be decorated, a new art style had emerged
and that is why the façade is a rare combination of both Gothic and classicizing Renaissance elements.