Chapter 15: Emergence of Gothic Art

GOTHIC ART

GOTHIC:•mid-12th to end of 15th c.

• Goths and other barbarians had brought about the fall of Rome

• Critics scorned the style because it did not adhere to Greek /Roman standards

GOTHIC CATHEDRALS

Purposes: • Expression of religious devotion

• Symbol of civic pride

Reims CathedralNotre Dame

INNOVATIONS IN CATHEDRAL ARCHITECTURE• Enabled to erect slender, soaring buildings due to:

• Pointed Arch – reduced sideways pressure of roof

•Buttress – support or brace that counteracts the outward thrust of an arch or vault

•Piers

Rose Labyrinth

Interior vaulted ceilings

INNOVATIONS IN CATHEDRAL

ARCHITECTURE

•Eliminated the need for solid walls

•Result: Huge areas devoted to stained glass windows

Stained Glass Windows

(small pieces of colored glass joined with lead strips and reinforced iron bars)•Let light in• Ideal way to instruct the faithful•Light made glass richer and brighter•Added minerals to the glass while still molten to make colors

ROSE WINDOW OF CHARTRES CATHEDRAL

The Good Samaritan – Chartres Cathedral

GOTHIC INTERIORS

• Vertical lines

• Stained glass

• Light