Gothic Period Art History

1. The Gothic
Period

2. Cathedral of
Tarragona, Spain
begun 12
th
century

3. Gothic Architecture
•followed the Romanesque period
•Took advantage of some advances in architecture
•best examples of Gothic architecture are found in
cathedrals, particularly in Spain and France

4. The Pointed Arch
•the pointed arch shape is the
most recognizable shape from
the Gothic period
• a change from the rounded
arch from the Romanesque
period
•More emphasis on the vertical
(arch is “pointing” upwards)

5. Facade
•Facade = the front of the
church
•Detailed, ornate sculpture
all over the facade
Reims Cathedral
Reims, France
Begun 1255

6. Cathedral of Burgos,
Spain
begun 13
th
century

7. Flying Buttresses
•new system engineered to
redirect the weight of the walls
and the roof away from the
walls

8. Flying Buttresses
•new system engineered to
redirect the weight of the walls
and the roof away from the
walls

9. Avila Cathedral, Spain
Flying buttress detail

10. •Shifting the weight away from the walls allows for massive windows
instead
•big difference from Romanesque, which had thick walls and almost no
windows

11. Notre Dame
Cathedral, Paris,
France
•Ornate stained glass windows allow
beautiful coloured light to stream into the
cathedral
•Windows are both decorative and / or
depict scenes from the Bible

12. RibbedVaults
Romanesque VaultGothic Vault
thick walls
ribbed vaults lighten
the load

13. •flying buttresses and ribbed
vaults allow for a soaring
vertical space inside

14. Reims
Cathedral

15. Sacramental Portal, Burgos Cathedral,
13th Century Gothic Sculpture

16. •Sculpture becomes more realistic, well-crafted and detailed

17. •Strasbourg Cathedral, France

18. Gargoyle Notre Dame, Cathedral

19. \

20. The Martydom of
Thomas a Becket
Carrow Psalter
13
th
Century
Manuscripts aren’t
always just pretty
roses!
Gothic Manuscripts

21. The Calling of the
Apostles Peter and
Andrew
Duccio di
Buoninsegna
1308-11
Tempera on Wood
Gothic Painting
•still uses very flat
space
•more realistic
depiction of people

22. Lamentation Giotto
Fresco c. 1305
Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy
Giotto: Master Painter
•figures show lots of
emotion
•they are less “wooden” in
their body positioning
•one of the few painters of
the time period who was
not a nameless craftsman

23. Fin