Gothic Architecture and Sculpture

Height of Light

"heavenly city of God". the higher the architecture, the closer to God you'll be. Light is the manifestation of God knob as lux (lux nova =new light)

Lux Nova

"new light" which was possible because of the new pointed arches

Gothic Rib Vault

* distinguishing feature is the crossed, or diagonal, arches under its groin. 1.) Gothic vaults have thin vaulted webs between the arches than Romanesque vaults have 2.) Pointed Arches 3.) Has flexibility 4.) Weight of the vaults is more downward 5.) Vaults appear taller

List 3 Romanesque features retained in Laon Cathedral.

*Alternating supports *Arcades *Rib vaulting

List 3 Structural design features that characterize the Gothic Vault

1) Crosses or diagonal arches under its groin vaulting 2) Pointed arches 3) seemed larger, and since they supported more weight (allowed for more windows under them)

The Gothic Style in England (same)

1. 3-story elevation 2. pointed arches 3. traery 4. 4 part rib vaults 5. Compound Piers

The Gothic Style in England (different)

1. westwork wider than nave 2. long rectanglier plan 3. wide and squat facade

High Gothic Elevation

1.) Flying buttresses made it possible to eliminate the tribune above the aisle, which had partially braced Romanesque and Early Gothic naves. 2.) Had the arcade, triforium, and clerestory with greatly enlarged windows

Country style of Late Gothic

1.) Free standing 2.) Gothic "s-curve) --> elegance 3.) Doll like features

High Gothic, France

1.) Notre Dame, Paris 2.) Notre Dame, Chartes 3.) Notre Dame, Amiens

Late Gothic, France

1.) Notre Dame, Reims 2.) Sainte Chapelle

High Gothic Plan

1.) Rectangular nave bays replaced the square bays with sexpartite vaults and alternate support systems 2.) A rectangular unit in the nave, defined by its own vaults, was flanked by a single square in each aisle rather than two. 3.) A change in vault design and the abandonment of the alternate-support system 4.) The visual effect of these changes was to unify the interior 5.) The High Gothic architect aligned identical units so that viewers saw them in too rapid a sequence to perceive them as individual volumes of space 6.) The nave became a vast, continuous hall

Late Gothic

1.) Salisbury Cathedral, England 2.) Cologne Cathedral, Germany 3.) Orvieto Cathedral, Italy 4.) Milan Cathedral, Italy

Early Gothic, France

1.) St. Denis Paris 2.) Laon Cathedral

English Architecture

1.) The English facade is a squat screen in front of the nave, wider than the building behind it. 2.) Height is not a decisive factor in English buildings 3.) adopted superficial mortifies of Frenc Gothic architecture 4.) double transept and flat eastern end 5. ) The decorative style

Greater Realism

1.) figures interact with each other 2.) greater understanding of anatomy 3.) individual faces 4.) Attempt at contrapposto

Flying Buttresses

1.) to hold the much thinner and taller walls 2.) Exterior arches that spring from the lower roofs over the aisles and ambulatory and counter the outward thrust of the nave vaults

Early Gothic

1140

High Gothic

1200

Late Gothic

1250

What was the purpose of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris?

A personal church for the king and his court. Displayed all relics he had collected

Compound pier with shafts

Also called cluster pier, a pier with a group or cluster of attached shafts or responds, extending to the spraining of the vaults

Describe the modification made in the nave elevation of Notre-Dame of Paris that changed it from Early to High Gothic

At Notre Dame- the flying buttresses, come way out from the churches. Rose windows have a mix of masonry and iron work and glass

List some ways in which the social and economic structure of the Gothic period differed from that of the Romanesque.

Churches became tourist attractions- thats a reason for there being so big. Additionally, big enough to fit a whole population at one service. Past Romanesque churches were for monks but now Gothic its for the people.

Cluster Pier

Clustered column or pier which consists of a centre mass or newel, to which engaged or semi-detached shafts have been attached

Describe fan vaulting

Comes up from cluster column and opens with intricate patterns and shape

Loan Cathedral

Early Gothic 1.) Used Ribe vaults resting on pointed arches 2.) Romanesque features, are the nave bays with the large sexpartite ribs vaults, flanked by two small groin-vaulted squares in each aisle 3.) New feature is the Triforium (the band of arcades below the clerestory) * the insertion of the triforium into the Romanesque three-story nave-wall elevation reflected growing desire to break up and eliminate all continuous wall surfaces 4. Lancets 5. alternate support system 6. In nave arcade, compound piers alternate with simple piers

Pointed Arch

Flexibility, Channels weight downwards, requires less buttressing, Opens walls for large windows, Makes vaults appear larger. Relieves some of the outward thrust of walls and distributors the weight more evenly and they allow for flying buttresses.. (allowed for the nave and tower to become higher)

Courtly Style of Late Gothic

Free standing, Elegance (s-curve), Doll like features

Chartes Cathedral (Notre Dame)

High Gothic 1.) Ribbed groin vaults 2.) Radiating chapels 3.) Semi-Cruciform, double aisles by ambulatory 4.) Goes on forever, looks buys, outside more reliefs 5.) Stain-glass 6.) Grouping together of massive piers 7.) Rose windows (lots of different panels) 8.) Rectangular nave bays replaced square bays with sexpartite vaults (Central Portal) --> last judgement (Right Portal) --> Heiarchy of scale. Christ to Heaven (Left Portal) --> Throne of Wisdom. Emphasis on Mary. There are Zodiac signs representing 12months *** open for more light (3 stories)

Note-Dame (of Paris)

High Gothic, France 1.) Sexpartite vaults covered the nave as at Laon 2.) Original elevation had four stories 3.) In place of the triforium over the gallery, stained glass oculi (small round window) opened up the wall below the clerestory lancets... lots of windows 4.) Had flying Buttressses 5.) The combination of flying buttresses and rib vaults with pointed arches was the ideal solution to the problem of constructing towering naves with huge windows filled with stained glass

Norte Dame, Amiens

High Gothic, France 1.) The light flooding in from the clerestory makes the vaults seem even more insubstantial 2.)the deep piercing of walls and towers at Amiens seems to have left few continuous surfaces for decoration but the ones that remained are covered with a network of arches, pinnacles and decorative stonework

Colonge Cathedral

High Gothic, Germany 1.) filled with light (stain-glass) 2.) Rounded ambilitory 3.) holds a lot of relics

How did stained-glass windows change from the twelfth to the thirteenth century?

How did stained-glass windows change from the twelfth to the thirteenth century? 12-Glass is thick, Irregular, held together with iron rods formed a grid over the whole design, glass fills only the punched holes in the heavy ornamental stonework 13- the bands followed the outlines of the medallions and of the surrounding areas, fill almost the entire opening and the stonework is unobtrusive, more like delicate leading than masonry wall.

Voussoirs

Is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vaults.

Trumeau

Is the central pillar or mullion supporting the tympanum of a large doorway, commonly found in medieval buildings

Rose Window

It is divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery

Triforium

It is the third level. Is a shallow arched gallery within the thickness of inner wall, which stands above the nave of a church or cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral

Late Gothic, England 1.) the facade has lancet windows and blind arcades with pointed arches 2.) Double transept 3.) Flat east end 4.) Very linear and geometric *symmetrical) 5.) Has a squat screen/the facade is wider than the actual building 6.) has huge crossing tower (closer to Gd) 7.) Perpindicular aspect 8.) Compare to Amiens a. flat apse b. double transept c. squat screen

Sainte Chappelle

Late Gothic, France 1.) Built by Louis the 9th 2) House crown of thorns reliec 3.) 75% of the building is stain glass. Main focus on light and extreme slenderness 4.) Mullions stone that separates stain-glass into panels

Remis Cathedral

Late Gothic, France 1.) Pointed arch also frames the rose windows itself, and the pinnacles over the portals are taller and more elaborate than those of Amiens 2.) Stained-glass windows replaced the stone relief sculpture of earlier facades (in contrast with heavy masonry construction of the Romanesque period)

Milan Cathedral

Late Gothic, Italy 1.) Has typical features from every country 2.) Has pinnicals (very German) 3.) Very elaborate 4.) Napolean funded the facade

Orvieto Cathedral (Lorenzo Maitani)

Late Gothic, Italy 1.) pointed gables over three doorways in the rose windows in the upper zone framed by statues in niches, and in the four large pinnacles that divide the faced into three bays 2.) the facade resembles a great altar screen 3.) Has a timber roof nave with a two-story elevation 4.) Pope Urban the 4th 5.) Pointed arches 6.) Very symmetrical 7.) Has a rose window 8.) differet colored marbles, ended up being fake 9.) Portals are more spread out

lancets

Pointed arched windows

High Reliefs

Sculpture/reliefs are higher in relief and emphasizes the verticality of the architecture.

German Gothic Sculpture

Tendency towards naturalism almost an expressionist quality (Rottgen Pieta)

Paris

The epicenter for art and culture. Increase of wealth because of the stability (wealthy monarchs). Center for learning and intellectual people

Springing

The lowest stone of an arch; in Gothic vaulting, the lowest stone of a diagonal or transverse rib

Vaulting Web

The masonry blocks that fill the area between the ribs of the groin vault

Rayonnant (radiant)

The style of the High Gothic Age which dominated the second half of the century

Clerestory

The windows below the vaults that form the nave elevations uppermost level. By using flying buttresses and rib vaults on pointed arches, Gothic architects could build huge clerestory windows and fill them with stained glass held in place by ornamental stonework, tracery

How does the style of the sculpted jamb figures at the facade portals and the transepts of Chartes Cathedral changed over a relatively short period of execution?

There proportions are now unbelievable- more human and specific in faces. Still engaged columns but really seem to float off. No more cartoon, are more 3D.

Gargoyles

To divide the flow of the rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. Usually an elongated fantastic animal because the length of the gargoyle determines how far water is thrown from the wall

Transverse Rib

a rib that crosses the nave or aisle at a 90 degree angle

Pinnacle

a sharply pointed ornament capping the piers of flying buttresses; also used on cathedral facades

Jambs

a side post or surface of a doorway, window, or fireplace

Oculus

a small round window

Grisaille

a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome usually in shades of grey.

Mandorla

almond-shaped of light surrounding the entire figure of a holy person

Virgin of Paris

appears not only as the mother of christ but also as the Queen of Heaven.

Sculpture/reliefs

are higher in relief and emphasizes the verticality of the architecture

Lintel

can be a loa-bearing building component, a decorative architectural element or a combined ornamented structural item

Ribbed Groin vault

carries weight of roof structure down to cluster piers and columns

Open Spaces

choir, ambulatory, and radiating chapels

Cities

city growth shifts patronage away from monasteries to urban Bishops and clergy

Flashed Glass

clear glass flashed with a thin layer of colored glass or a coating of metallic oxide

Lancet Window

is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top

Portal

is an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, especially a grand entrance to an important structure

Archivolts

is an ornamental molding or band following the curve on the underside of the arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental moldings.

Flying Buttress

is not in contact with the wall like a traditional buttress.

Saint Denis

is the first fully Gothic structure in France. The ambulatory becomes the new focus. It was built under Suger (who brought Christanity to Gal). Has radiating chapels. 1. Light weight (because of pointed arches 2. All about decoration inside and outside (everything is for the worshipper 3. masonry webbing: is the extra space 4. Ribbed vaults 5. Open walls for large windows

Tympanum

is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arc. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments

Cult of the Virgin

replaced a previous veneration of Eve, the great sinner. Churches built to "note dame" (our lady)

Stained Glass Window

replaced heavy walls of Romanesque. Light through the windows fills interior space with majestic light -> divine light

Mullions

stone that separates stain-glass into panels

Lancets

tall narrow windows that ended in pointed arches

Flamboyand

the change from Rayonant architecture to the late Gothic style

Nave Arcade

the series of arches supported by piers separating the nave from side aisles

French King's

their political power is consolidated due to taxation, laws, government --> stability

Pinnacle

vertical ornament of pyramidal or conical shape, crowning a buttress. Each one capped by a finial

Stained Glass

were meant to illuminate the interior with bright sunlight but to transform natural light with Suger's mystical lux nova.

Women

were no longer considered "handmaidens of the devil"

Perfected Romanesque Style

which where: ribbed vaults, groin vaults, pointed arches, and clerestories