The Italians of the renaissance period coined the term ‘Gothic’ to describe the art and architecture of Northern Europe, which to them was barbarous, illogical and chaotic. The Gothic tendency has been viewed throughout history as something which is constantly negative, something which is unhealthy and perhaps even wrong.
This attitude has remained persistent throughout history, and as the Gothic style has evolved and changed, this attitude has followed. In this essay, a summary of the Gothic style will be given, both in regards to architecture and painting, outlining their characteristics, and the times in which the style has re-emerged.
Renaissance Italians looked down upon the Gothic style due to it being ‘barbaric’, ‘illogical’ and ‘chaotic’. This is briefly touched on by an article on Grove Art Online (2005) with a statement of the Italian beliefs towards the Gothic Style: ‘The Italians were profoundly historicist, proud of their inheritance as the guardians of the Classical past. Gothic was identified as something essentially alien…’ to the Italians, this alien ‘menace’ created by an influx of the Gothic Style threatened to destroy the classical culture with which they were infatuated.
The most obvious example of the Gothic style is present in architecture, which first appeared in Northern Europe and then spread throughout Europe as the ‘High Gothic’ or ‘International Gothic’ period began. Gothic architecture is epitomized by monumental cathedrals, for example Notre Dame.
In a description of The Cathedral of Notre Dame, The Grolier Family Encyclopaedia (1995) defines the key elements of Gothic architecture as ‘… the rib vaulted nave, flying buttresses, clerestory windows, and delicate stone tracery…’ These characteristics were not only aesthetic in their function, but also gave the structure of the building great strength and large load bearing abilities, allowing elaborate stained glass windows to be implemented into the design of the structure. Importantly, this also made Gothic structures become flooded with light.
Gombrich (1966, p85) acknowledges Warburton as introducing a comparison between the high vaulted ceilings of Gothic Cathedrals and the canopy of the forest. This can be seen on the interior roof of the Cathedral of Chartres as illustrated below.
Figure One: Chartres Cathedral (Janson, H.W, & Janson, A.F, 2001 p311)
The vaulted ceiling, with crisscrossed supports can be seen as an attempt to represent the forest canopy, with all of its dense foliage overlapping, creating both a rich texture and shelter from the outside world. Also of note is the glass façade at the end of the cathedral – it allowing light to filter through, and its columnar supports analogizing to tree trunks.
These characteristics of the cathedral clearly establish it as a place of light – which is filtered through elaborate stained glass windows on either side of the Cathedral. Gothic Cathedrals were very much about a celebration of light. An example of Gothic stained is the Chartres Cathedral’s Notre Dame de la Belle Verriere,
Figure Two: Notre Dame de la Belle Verriere (Janson, H.W, & Janson, A.F, 2001 p340)
The stained glass window was used to decorate the Gothic Cathedrals during the style’s infancy and stained glass ‘displaced manuscript illumination as the leading form of painting’ (Janson, H.W, & Janson, A.F, 2001 p340)
Due to the nature of the stained glass, the work was produced in a style that was largely lacking in depth, resulting in abstracted, two dimensional imagery created by the individual pieces of coloured glass. Fine detail was able to be added by hand painting the glass.
Gothic painting, in the form of miniatures and illuminated manuscripts was then influenced by stained glass that came before it, as stained glass began to drop in popularity after the year 1250. (Janson, H.W, & Janson, A.F, 2001 p341)
The parallels between Gothic stained glass and illuminated manuscripts begin to separate as the Tempera medium(not to be confused with delicious Tempura!) (an egg based medium, White, R. (2001) ) used in the manuscripts allowed for richer detail to be infused within the image. However, the Illuminated Manuscripts still retained very much so the two dimensionality of stained glass with regards to images produced, but as the style of the illuminated manuscript began to mature, more and more detail was placed within the work.
An illuminated manuscript which demonstrates this increase of detail, however still retains influence from Gothic Stained Glass is Pucelle’s The Betrayal of Christ and the Annunciation. (Pictured Below)
Figure Three: Jean Pucelle The Betrayal of Christ and the Annunciation 1325-28
(Janson, H.W, & Janson, A.F, 2001 p357)
On the left, we can still see the influence of Gothic stained glass, but a massive leap in terms of the resolved detail involved in the piece. The composition is still largely two dimensional, but an impression of depth is also created by placing figures in front of one another. On the right hand side, we begin to see a three dimensionality beginning to take place – one which is still quite limited, but in comparison to the previous page of the manuscript is closer to a more resolved representation of three dimensional space, and begins to include intricate detail in the work. This intricate detail is something which in later Gothic painting is of immense importance and significance.
Detail within Gothic painting continued to grow as the style matured. The single greatest example of this is the Ghent Altarpiece (completed 1432), in the Church of St. Bavo, in Belgium, produced by Hubert and Jan van Eyck. This piece exhibits exquisite and intricate detail which is almost photographic – each figure represented is unique and individual richly coloured and detailed and is rendered with an obsessive lust for detail.
Figure Four: Hubert and Jan van Eyck Ghent Altarpiece (completed 1432)
(Janson, H.W, & Janson, A.F, 2001 p488)
The Ghent Altarpiece also merges and takes influence from classical style and also some influence from the work of Italian Renaissance painters, whom re-established the classical style as what was dominant during the Renaissance period. The Grolier Family Encyclopaedia (1995) clarifies the Renaissance period in Italy: ‘… art in Italy was connected with the rediscovery of ancient philosophy, literature and science.’
This prevailed through to the enlightenment, which Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopaedia (1973) defines as ‘…a period of great intellectual awareness.’ and ‘…with an emphasis on the experimental method in science.’ This period resulted in an increase in general knowledge, and a decrease in religious knowledge.
This increase in general knowledge, and also the technological revolutions of the time, which can be accredited to the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the steam engine saw a revival of Gothic ideas in terms of Architecture.
However, this revival did not rely upon the structural strengths of Gothic Architecture, in many cases, replacing stone with metal, which did not carry the same strengths as stone, thus rendering the Gothic Style as something purely aesthetic, and destroying the functionality of its design.
Janson, H.W, & Janson, A.F, (2001 p699) acknowledge the single greatest triumph of Gothic Revival Architecture as British houses of parliament, designed by Sir Charles Barry and A.N Welby Pugin with its monumental scale, archways and spires clearly referencing the Gothic style.
Figure Five: British Houses of Parliament (Janson, H.W, & Janson, A.F, 2001 p699)
It is at this time that the Gothic revival saw its end. However, the architecture remained, invoking a sense of power, strength and authority – the connection with the choice of Gothic Architecture for the British houses of Parliament however is questionable, as initially the Gothic style was seen as chaotic, illogical and barbarous.
The term ‘Gothic’ is now quite confused in contemporary culture. Not only does it refer to the architectural and artistic styles of times gone by, but also to a musical genre, which emerged in the late 1970’s as an offshoot of Punk Subculture. (Young, 1999 p75) The ‘Gothic’ music style, as Young explains, is
‘…characterised by a preference for minor keys (often incorporating a descending minor third bass pattern remininscent of Chopin’s Death March); think, reverberating electric guitars (often referred to by Goths as ‘jangly mandolin-style’ guitar); heavy use of synthesisers or effects processing; and gloomy lyrics performed by an angst driven basso-profundo.’
However, the contemporary Gothic is not only about music, contemporary ‘Goths’ see the subculture as a lifestyle and Young (1999, p81) draws the analogy between contemporary ‘Goths’ and the original Germanic invaders as both having ‘the threat of the destruction of culture.’
This creates an interesting paradox, as the contemporary Gothic is bathed within darkness, whereas the original notions of the Gothic Style were in strength, and the celebration and worship of light, thus contemporary Gothic style, it can be argued, has turned full circle upon its origins.
The Gothic throughout history has been a style which has been exploited both for its functionality and aesthetics. Contrasts however, can be drawn between different periods of the style, and what influence it has had over both contemporary and historical times. Despite being originally considered as barbaric and chaotic, Gothic Architecture does contain within it a beauty which is both strong and functional.
The advent and development of Gothic painting and representation also managed to stimulate cultural change, and in contemporary extremes, Gothic subculture is often perceived as something which is both beautiful and confronting.