GOTHIC ART

Charisse Diane Rose A. Tangan

• During the 12th century, another
style of art was developed in
Northern France. It was called
GOTHIC ART.
• Gothic Art branched out from the
Romanesque.
• The word GOTHIC was created only
after the said period when Italian
writers saw significant differences
between art produced during the
period and Romanesque art.
 Most Valued forms of Art in
this period:
1. Sculpture
2. Architecture
3. Paintings
4. Stained Glass
5. Fresco
6. Illuminated manuscripts
 1. Sculpture
The religious and educational
purposes of sculpture in
Romanesque art continued in
the Gothic period, but several
elements were added, such as
the following:
Stone was the most common
material but wood started
becoming popular.
Figures became independent from
architecture and became more
realistic and natural.
Sculpture appeared in portals,
altarpieces of cathedrals, choir
stalls, capitals of columns, tombs,
and gargoyles on the outside of
cathedrals.
The most famous sculptures in Gothic
Art are the gargoyles.
Gargoyle- French word which means
“throat” .
- served as water spouts from
the roof of a cathedral and were
believed to frighten off and protect
those that it guards from evil or
harmful spirits.
Examples:
 2. Architecture
Gothic Architecture is one of the most
enduring styles in history.
It is still valued for its artistry and
contemporary architects still look at it as
a model for their projects.
Most Gothic Architectural works still
exist in cathedrals and churches at
present.
Seen in some buildings, palaces, castles
and private dwellings.
It is powerfully expressed in
many churches and castes .
It involves: 1.pointed arches
2.ribbed vaults
3.flying buttresses
Common features of Gothic
Architecture:
1. wide windows
2. pinnacles
3. towers
4. spires
5. ornate facades
 2.a Pointed Arches
Gothic Architecture is
known for the use of
pointed spires and arches.
The arches were used to
decorate walls, both narrow
and tall, or flattened and
wide.
 Four Popular Styles of
Gothic arches
1. Lancet Arch- the simplest
among the styles. It has a long
and wide opening, and with
windows that are knife-shaped.
 Example:

Salisbury Cathedral
2. Equilaterals arch- with wide
openings, satisfying proportions
useful for doorways, arcades,
and large windows.
 Example:

Lincoln Cathedral in England

3. Flamboyant arch- with
windows that have tracery that
rises up like a flame.
• When used for windows,
tracery and surface
decorations, it creates a rich
and lively effect.
• The form is structurally weak,
it focuses more on design.
 Examples:

Tracery, carved stone lace in windows and on walls

Sainte-Chapelle, Paris
Cathedral of Limoges in France
St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria
West Windows of York Minster in England
4. Depressed arch-
which are wide and
almost flat.
 Examples:

Bath Abbey, England

• King’s College Cathedral Cambridge, England
 2.b. Ribbed Vaults
Arches were used for vaulting during
the Gothic art period. Two transverse
diagonal ribs were used to create an X
shape. This made the room more
spacious and the roof lighter.
Ribbed vaults allowed the walls to be
built thinner, higher and allowed more
space for openings.
Example:
Examples:
 2.c. Flying Buttresses
One of the greatest innovations of Gothic
Architecture.
Buttresses are structures that supports
walls, transferring weight to the ground.
Flying Buttresses were common in
churches and cathedrals.
 The buttresses consists of large masonry
block, while the flyer serves as an arch
spanning between the buttresses and the
exterior wall.
 Examples:

Flying Buttresses at the Lincoln Cathedral, England

Flying Buttresses at the Washington D.C National Cathedral
• Washington D.C National Cathedral
•Popular GOTHIC
ARCHITECTURE
IN SPAIN
Sagrada Familia, Barcelona by Antoni Gaudi
Popular example of GOTHIC
ARCHITECTURE IN
PHILIPPINES
San Sebastian Church, Plaza del Carmen, at eastern end
of Quiapo,Manila
 3. Paintings

Blessed Agostino Noveno altarpiece

 4. Stained Glass
• Stained glass refers to the glass that
has been colored by adding metallic
salts.
• It first became popular during the
time of the Romans.
 Stained glass windows were
widely used in churches for the
following reasons:
1. Control the enormous amount of light
coming into the church or cathedral,
which produced spatial and lighting
effects.
2. For spiritual quality and religious
symbolism.
3. Illustrate stories, especially from the Bible.
4. Acknowledge supporters who funded and
worked for construction of the
cathedrals. (Patrons & worker guilds).
 Example:

Biblical scene depicted on a window in Chartres Cathedral, France

 5. Fresco
• Fresco painting, method of painting
water-based pigments on freshly
applied plaster, usually on wall
surfaces. The colours, which are made
by grinding dry-powder pigments in
pure water, dry and set with the
plaster to become a permanent part of
the wall
 Examples:

the Creation of Adam, detail of the ceiling fresco

by Michelangelo, …
SuperStock
The Nativity, fresco by Giotto, c. 1305–06, depicting the …
ART Collection/Alamy
 6.Illuminated
Manuscript
• An illuminated manuscript is
a manuscript in which the text is
supplemented with such decoration as
initials, borders (marginalia) and
miniature illustrations.
 The Annunciation to the Virgin, Gualenghi-d’Este Hours, Taddeo
Crivelli, circa 1470, Ferrara (The J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. Ludwig IX
13,
fols. 3v-4).