Gothic Style

1140 - 1500

The Gothic style was marked by the following:  

• Cathedrals, cathedrals and more cathedrals.
• Bright colors were very common in paintings.
• Figures portrayed in artworks appeared more natural than in the earlier Romanesque style.
• Warmth and emotion "flowed" from most art pieces.
• Flying buttresses, pointed arches, stained glass windows and illuminated manuscripts were the important creations of the day.

The Gothic style was one rooted in architecture and any other forms of art were basically created to help embellish the houses of the Lord. Gothic churches were - in contrast to the Romanesque churches - very "light". The belief in divine light and the powers it contained had a great deal to do with how Gothic cathedrals were constructed. Gothic architects solved the problem of very little light coming through the windows (as in Romanesque churches), by conceiving of a superior form of building. How'd they do that? Well, instead of having large walls with large interior support - as in Romanesque style - the Gothic churches were made of "exoskeletons". In other words, the church itself was like a skeleton with the walls and windows hanging as skin, off of this skeleton. Also, the weight of the construction was transferred from the interior to the exterior by way of what is known as the "flying buttress" system - massive piers on the outside of the church.

With heavy walls no longer needed, walls were freed up for large, light colored stained glass windows. The sun could finally shine in...

Important Artists:

• Giotto di Bondone
• Duccio di Buoninsegna
• Pisano, Nicola

By Andrea Mulder-Slater