Gothic art
In the 12th century AD, Gothic art emerged from Romanesque art in Northern France under the influence of the parallel growth of Gothic architecture. While it influenced most of Southern and Central Europe as well as all of Western Europe, it never completely replaced more classical forms in Italy. The sophisticated court style known as International Gothic emerged in the late 14th century and continued to change until the late 15th. Before being absorbed into Renaissance art, Late Gothic art persisted in several places, particularly Germany, well into the 16th century.
Sculpture, panel painting, stained glass, fresco, and illuminated manuscripts were the main forms of art during the Gothic era. The periods in art in all media are typically defined by the instantly recognizable changes in architectural style from Romanesque to Gothic, and from Gothic to Renaissance styles, but figurative art grew at a different rate in many aspects.
On the walls of cathedrals and monasteries, the first Gothic art was monumental sculpture. Christian artwork frequently displayed parallel narratives from the Old and New Testaments through typology (see Medieval allegory). It was common to represent saints' lives. Images of the Virgin Mary shifted from the Byzantine iconic form to a more relatable and loving mother who rocked her child on her hip and displayed the sophisticated manners of a well-born aristocratic courtly lady.
With the development of cities, the founding of universities, an increase in trade, the establishment of a money-based economy, and the emergence of a bourgeois class with the means to support the arts and commission works, secular art came into its own during this time period, resulting in an abundance of paintings and illuminated manuscripts. The portrayal of secular themes in art was fostered by rising literacy rates and a burgeoning body of secular vernacular literature. Due to greater record keeping, more artists are identified by name in this century than any other before it. Some artists were even so brave as to sign their names. With the rise of cities, trade guilds were founded, and artists were frequently expected to be members of a painters' guild.
At the Abbey Church of St. Denis, which Abbot Suger built in the early 12th century in Île-de-France, France, gothic art first appeared. The architectural roots of the style quickly branched out into other media, including painting, textile art, monumental and small-scale sculpture, stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, and panel paintings. Monastic orders played a significant role in spreading the style and creating unique variations of it throughout Europe, particularly the Cistercians and the Carthusians. Even after a uniform global style known as International Gothic emerged by the late 14th century, regional variances in architecture continued to be significant well into the late 15th century and beyond in many places.
Even while there was a lot more secular Gothic art than is commonly believed today due to the fact that religious art typically has a higher percentage of survival than its secular analogues, a significant portion of the artwork created during this time was religious, whether it was commissioned by the church or by the laity. Gothic art frequently included a typological theme, reflecting the idea that the Old Testament's events foreshadowed the New and that this was, in fact, its primary significance. Old and New Testament scenes were juxtaposed in church decorations and works like the Speculum Humanae Salvationis. The visual arts had a significant role in the remarkable revival of Marian devotion that occurred throughout the Gothic era. From the Byzantine hieratic types through the Coronation of the Virgin, to more human and initiate kinds, to cycles of the Life of the Virgin, images of the Virgin Mary evolved. Giotto, Fra Angelico, Pietro Lorenzetti, and other Italian artists as well as Early Netherlandish painting introduced realism and a more genuine human quality to art. Even while they continued to apply borrowed formulas, Western painters and their patrons became far more confidence in inventive iconography.
Gothic Sculpture
In the middle of the twelfth century, Gothic sculpture began to appear on the walls of Saint Denis Basilica. Since there was no tradition of sculpture on Ile-de-France before, sculptors were imported from Burgundy. They produced a completely new creation that served as the inspiration for a subsequent generation of sculptors: the revolutionary figures serving as columns in the Western (Royal) Portal of the Chartres Cathedral (see image).
French concepts became popular. From 1225 at the cathedral in Bamberg, the impact was felt all over Germany. With the completion of the Bamberg Rider, the first equestrian figure in Western art since the sixth century, in 1240, the Bamberg Cathedral had the largest collection of sculpture from the 13th century. The Cistercian iconoclasm can be partially attributed for the sculpture's relatively limited use in England, where it was mostly used for graves and non-figurine embellishments.[1] Although there was still a strong Classical influence in Italy, pulpits like the one in the Pisa Baptistery (1269) and the one in Siena included Gothic-inspired sculptures. The Scaliger Tombs in Verona, which date from the early to late fourteenth century, are a late masterpiece of Italian Gothic sculpture.
In the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, Gothic sculpture developed from the early rigid and elongated style—still mostly Romanesque to a spacious and naturalistic feel. The treatment of draperies, face expression, and position were influenced by surviving ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. The naturalistic aesthetic and the Dutch-Burgundian artist Claus Sluter heralded the end of Gothic sculpture, which by the end of the fifteenth century had given way to the classicistic Renaissance style.
Origins
Early in the 12th century, Abbot Suger's Abbey Church of St. Denis in France served as the birthplace of Gothic art. The architectural beginnings of the style were quickly extended to include monumental and small-scale sculpture, textile art, and painting, which included fresco, stained glass, the illuminated manuscript, and panel painting. The Cistercians and the Carthusians, in particular, were significant constructors who spread the style and created various variations of it throughout Europe. Even after a uniform worldwide style known as International Gothic emerged by the late 14th century, regional variances in architecture continued to be significant until the late 15th century and beyond in many areas.
Even while there was a lot more secular Gothic art than is commonly believed today due to the fact that religious art typically has a higher percentage of survival than its secular analogues, a significant portion of the artwork created during this time was religious, whether it was commissioned by the church or by the laity. Gothic art frequently included a typological theme, reflecting the idea that the Old Testament's events foreshadowed the New and that this was, in fact, its primary significance. Old and New Testament scenes were juxtaposed in church decorations and works like the Speculum Humanae Salvationis.
The visual arts had a significant role in the remarkable revival of Marian devotion that occurred throughout the Gothic era. From Byzantine hieratic types to the Coronation of the Virgin, to more intimate and human types, to cycles of the Life of the Virgin, images of the Virgin Mary underwent significant development. Realism and a more genuine sense of humanity were introduced to art by artists like Giotto, Fra Angelico, and Pietro Lorenzetti in Italy as well as Early Netherlandish painting. Although copied formulas were still utilized by the majority of artists, Western artists and their patrons became considerably more confident in inventive iconography and much more originality is visible.
Changes in theology and devotional practices like the Devotio Moderna produced new treatments of Christ in subjects like the Man of Sorrows, Pensive Christ, and Pietà, which highlighted his human suffering and vulnerability, had an impact on iconography. Assumption of Mary representations gained ground over the older Death of the Virgin representations. Even in the Last Judgments, Christ was typically depicted with his chest exposed to reveal the scars from his Passion. Saints were depicted more frequently, and altarpieces frequently featured saints who were significant to the church or donor in attendance on a Crucifixion or enthroned Virgin and Child, or taking up the entire central area (this was typically the case for pieces made for side chapels). The midwives at the Nativity were among the numerous ancient iconographical elements from the New Testament apocrypha that were gradually erased over time under clerical pressure. However, other elements were too well-established and were regarded as harmless.
Historical perspective
In 476 CE, the Roman Empire fell, and the remnants were absorbed by Germanic tribes known as the Goths. These tribes were not cohesive and frequently fought one another. Fear caused trade to halt, cultural dissemination to slow down, and most importantly, cultural advancement to stop altogether, formally ushering in the Dark Ages. People stayed around because they were too terrified to migrate, which helped to create the manorial system, which served as the foundation for subsequent Medieval and feudal societies. People now lived in one place during the Middle Ages, although they weren't always safe. Lords thus provided labourers with more than just their land. While the ruler provided the worker (or peasant) with protection with his knights, workers would cultivate crops on the land. It only had one manor. They constructed big, sturdy castles to defend manors from one another, which eventually gave rise to Gothic architecture, which was named after the brutal tribes but was really important in maintaining society.
Gothic architecture
Architecture was arguably the most prominent and avant-garde art form throughout the Gothic era. The task of implementing stone ceiling vaults over great distances presented to medieval masons during this time resulted in the development of Gothic architecture.
The barrel and groin vaults' massive stonework caused extreme downward and outward strain on the walls by which the vault rested. The walls that it was resting on fell down as a result of this. In order to keep the barrel vault from spreading outward, it was necessary to build the building's vertical support walls to be astonishingly thick and massive.
Gothic stained glass
Giant, intricate stained glass windows that depict Biblical scenes in a vibrant and artistic way are at the center of Gothic architecture. Glass artisans used windows to use spiritual and religious ideas to transmit stories to those who would view them. Furthermore, the stained glass itself would enliven the inside of enormous churches with vivid color, blinding light, and spectacle. Craftsmen gave the glass a nearly jewel-like, luminous aspect by adding metallic salts and oxides, which fit so well with the concepts of awe and mystery connected with God. Romanesque architecture, which was/is famed for large walls but small windows, was/is in sharp contrast to large colorful, artistic windows that allow in loads of light.
English Gothic windows, which first appeared in the late 12th century, followed windows in the Norman or Romanesque style, which essentially paralleled the history of English architecture. some time after France. The Decorated style, which was separated into two phases and is known for its elaborate curvilinear designs, first arose in the 13th century. The Perpendicular Gothic was the following and final style, lasting much longer than in continental Europe, well into the 16th century.
Gothic sculpture
The Saint Denis Basilica's walls first featured Gothic sculpture around the middle of the twelfth century. Due to the lack of a sculptural tradition in Ile-de-France prior to this, sculptors from Burgundy were imported. They produced the ground-breaking sculptures that serve as columns in the Western (Royal) Portal of the Chartres Cathedral (see image), a completely original creation that served as the inspiration for a subsequent generation of sculptors.
French concepts became popular. From 1225 at the cathedral in Bamberg, the impact was felt all over Germany. With the completion of the Bamberg Rider, the first equestrian figure in Western art since the sixth century, in 1240, the Bamberg Cathedral had the largest collection of sculpture from the 13th century. The Cistercian iconoclasm can be partially attributed for the sculpture's relatively limited use in England, where it was mostly used for graves and non-figurine embellishments. Although there was still a strong Classical influence in Italy, pulpits like the one in the Pisa Baptistery (1269) and the one in Siena included Gothic-inspired sculptures. The Scaliger Tombs in Verona, which date from the early to late fourteenth century, are a late masterpiece of Italian Gothic sculpture.
In the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, Gothic sculpture developed from the early rigid and elongated style still mostly Romanesque to a spacious and naturalistic feel. The treatment of draperies, face expression, and position were influenced by surviving ancient Greek and Roman sculptures.