Title: Chapter Seven Gothic Europe
1Chapter Seven Gothic Europe
- Dates and Places
- 12th to 14th century
- Western Europe (begins in France)
- People
- Growth of urban centers
- Sophisticated courts
- Scholasticism
- Cult of Virgin Mary
Reims Cathedral, ca. 12251290. Fig. 7-1.
2Gothic
- Themes
- Virgin Mary
- Life of Christ and saints
- Portraits
- Secular life
- Forms
- Immense churches
- Increasingly optical approach to figures and
space - Lavish ornament and materials
Saint Theodore, Chartres Cathedral, ca. 1230.
Fig. 7-12.
3Gothic France
- Example
- Birth of Gothic style
- Abbot Suger
- Royal church
- Rib vaults and pointed arches
- Open space
- Stained glass windows, symbolic light lux nova
Plan, abbey church, Saint-Denis, 11401144. Fig.
7-3.
4Gothic France
Notre-Dame, begun 1163. Fig. 7-8.
5Gothic France
- Example
- Flying buttresses
- Quadrant arches
- Rose windows
- Towers on heavily ornamented westwork
- Large clerestory of stained glass windows
- Skeletal support system
Notre-Dame, begun 1163. Fig. 7-8.
6Gothic France
- Example
- Stained glass window
- Lux nova
- Stories of the faith
- Virgin Mary
- Bar tracery
Rose window and lancets, Chartres Cathedral, ca.
1220. Fig. 7-11.
7Gothic France
Amiens Cathedral, begun 1220. Fig. 7-13.
8Gothic France
- Example
- Gothic architects seek height
- Nave bays with arcade, triforium, and clerestory
- Rib vaults, colonettes, compound piers
- Flying buttresses outside
Amiens Cathedral, begun 1220. Fig. 7-13.
9Gothic France
Annunciation and Visitation, Reims Cathedral,
ca. 12301255. Fig. 7-14.
10Gothic France
- Example
- Portal jamb sculpture
- Compare to Royal Portal at Chartres
- Increasing naturalism
- Figures released from vertical support
- Influence of classical sculpture
- Cult of Mary Visitation
Annunciation and Visitation, Reims Cathedral,
ca. 12301255. Fig. 7-14.
11Gothic France
Sainte-Chapelle, 12431248. Fig. 7-15.
12Gothic France
- Example
- Skeletal support
- Walls replaced by stained glass
- Rib vaults, mullions
- Rayonnant style
Sainte-Chapelle, 12431248. Fig. 7-15.
13Gothic France
Blanche of Castile, Louis IX, and two monks,
12261234. Fig. 7-18.
14Gothic France
- Example
- Illuminated manuscript
- Produced in urban workshops
- Luxury books for private patrons
- Contemporary architectural style
- Courtly elegance
Blanche of Castile, Louis IX, and two monks,
12261234. Fig. 7-18.