Gothic painting and architecture

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Gothic painting originated in France in the 12th century. Gothic replaced the Romanesque style of medieval art and developed initially in architecture. The characteristics of the Gothic style are awesome and majestic buildings. Gradually, Gothic begins to penetrate into all areas of art and spread throughout medieval Europe.

The history of the Gothic style

In the middle of the 16th century, the famous Italian artist, architect and writer Giorgio Vasari introduced the concept of "Gothic". He uses the term in his Lives of Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects. This book can be considered the first history of art. The word gothic comes from the Italian concept Goten - barbarian. With this term, he separated the art of the Renaissance from the Middle Ages.

The main idea of Gothic is the upward movement. Examples of Gothic architecture are cathedrals, monasteries, churches. Developed after the Romanesque style, which is distinguished by its powerful walls with round arches and tiny windows, the Gothic rushes into the sky with its:

• high thin towers;
• sharp high arches;
• stained glass windows;
• many carved details on the facades.

The colored glass created a stunning effect. Stained-glass windows, created from glass of various thicknesses and colors, gave the atmosphere of the temples an extraordinary beauty. The play of light on the floor and walls deepened the perspective.

Stained Glass

Gothic painting appears on the windows of churches. Plots on religious themes, created from colored and painted glass, which was inserted into narrow lead strips, were paintings of unusual beauty. Each window presented a thematic composition in which great attention was paid to details. Juicy, bright, contrasting colors were like a scattering of gems and replaced traditional frescoes.

Book miniature

Features of Gothic painting can be seen on the example of a book miniature. In the XIV century, a new design of manuscripts appears. The illustrations include stories on everyday topics. Particular attention is paid to details and colors. These are bright and juicy paintings in which there are a variety of colors:

• blue;
• green;
• red;
• pink;
• black;
• white;
• ocher shades.

Manuscript sheets receive beautiful borders created from various scrolls and floral designs.

Artists of the Gothic period

After the manifestation of the Gothic style in architecture, hepenetrates the painting. Gothic art is characterized by two-dimensional, flat space in paintings. Often they appear stories on everyday topics. The compositions are decorated with leaves, flowers and images of animals. In all paintings, special attention is paid to detail.

Among the representatives of Gothic painting, the most famous are:

• Master Bertram.
• Jacmart de Esden.
• Master of San Martino.
• Donato Veneziano.
• The Limburg brothers.

Master Bertram

The most famous of these artists is the German painter Master Bertram. He not only painted pictures, but was also a master of wooden sculpture, and also made illustrations for books. At his disposal was a workshop in which his students and apprentices worked. Master Bertram lived and worked in Hamburg. The workshop carried out various orders that came from the city and from private individuals. The most famous work is the Grabowski Altar, created in 1383 for St. Peter's Cathedral in Hamburg.

Jacmart de Esden

The representative of the Gothic style in painting was born in Artois and was of French origin. The works of Jacquemart de Esden are book miniatures. The customer of the artist was a relative of the King of France Charles V - Jean of Berry. The master spent most of his time in Bourges, where he took orders from the duke. From 1384 to 1414 he received a regular salary from the treasury. The artist's most famous works are miniatures:

• "Smallhours".
• "Brussels Hours".
• "Big Book of Hours".

The main work of the master is the "Big Book of Hours".

Master of San Martino

Master who was the author of the image "Madonna and Child Enthroned" for the Church of San Martino. Now this work is stored in Italy, in the Museum of San Matteo, in the city of Pisa. In the central part of the picture is the Madonna, and at the edges are plots from the life of Saints Joachim and Anna. Despite the fact that the artist is considered the most prominent representative of the Pisan school of painting of the Gothic period, the name of the master has been lost.

Donato Veneziano

There is no data left about when the artist was born and died. There is a version that in the second half of the 14th century two artists named Donato lived in Venice. One was a parishioner of the Church of St. Luke, and the second was a parishioner of the Church of St. Vidal. According to another version, it was the same person who was simply changed by the parish. There are documents about his joint work with other painters. One of these works is the painting "The Coronation of Mary", which was created in 1372 together with Catarino di Marco.

Limburg Brothers

Three brothers, Paul, Erman and Jeanneken, were born in the Netherlands. Their father was a master of wooden sculpture, and on their mother's side, their relative was the painter Jean Maluel, who worked at the court of the Burgundian dukes. For some time, the brothers studied jewelry, and in 1410 they began towork, which consisted in creating pictures for the Bible. The order came from Philip the Bold, for which he assigned the brothers maintenance for four years. The most important work of Gothic painting by the Limburg brothers is The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry. The work remained unfinished, as both the customer - Jean of Berry, and the artists died in 1416.

Unique examples of Gothic style

Masterpieces created during the Gothic period of art can still be admired today:

• St. Stephen's Cathedral, Austria.
• Mir Castle, Belarus.
• Antwerp Cathedral, Belgium.
• Cologne Cathedral, Germany.
• Burgos Cathedral, Spain.
• St. Vitus Cathedral, Czech Republic.
• Westminster Abbey, England.
• Chartres Cathedral, France.
• Rheinstein Castle, Germany.
• Notre Dame Cathedral, France.

Notre Dame de Paris is one of the first cathedrals in the Gothic style. It was built from 1163 to 1345.