The Gothic art is a type of artistic style that saw the light in Western Europe during the last years of the Middle Ages, approximately from the 12th century until the arrival of the Renaissance in the 15th century. The kick is given in the northern france and from there it will spread throughout the West. Then, being contemporary both to the fullness and to the crisis of the Middle Ages, both situations will be reflected in his production.
Artistic style that extends from the end of medieval times to the Renaissance, having been born in Gaul, former France, among the artists and settlers there, the Goths
The name resulted from the invention of the Italian artist and historian of the Renaissance Giorgio Vasari, who decided to write down this name that would popularize it as a result of its origin and creators, the Goth artists, as the medieval and barbarian people who knew how to occupy the former were called. Gaul present-day France.
Although in its beginnings it had to suffer the attacks of a pejorative consideration, later, the romantic artistic movement would take care of revaluing it.
It should be noted that depending on the country in question and the regions, it will take place at different chronological moments, that is, it does not occur in all nations simultaneously.
Therefore, it is that in all its events there are profound differences, pure good in France, although being different from Paris compared to Provence, plus close to the classical tradition in the case of Italy and in Flanders, England, Germany, Castile and Aragon with local singularities.
The political situation was decisive in the definition of the characteristics of the style
As has happened with all the artistic movements of each time, the Gothic was not left out of the context and the social political conjuncture that existed at that time, so it cannot be ignored that it occurs within the framework of the loss of power of the Feudalism and the birth of a new conception of life in cities, more urban, and where artistic expression is characterized by being more free and human.
Nor can we ignore the birth of a new social class or estate, the bourgeoisie, with whom this movement wanted to ingratiate itself and then it is that it knew how to channel its demands.
The abundant shapes are an essential feature of this one.
High constructions, introduction of the pointed arch, more open and illuminated
The great novelty that Gothic art provides, compared to its predecessor, Romanesque, is the construction of high cathedrals with lots of light.
In architecture, the highlight is the introduction of pointed arch, which is commonly called ogival, of which the ribbed vault succeeds, facilitating the displacement of the thrusts to external buttresses, this being precisely what allowed the construction of higher and wider buildings.
The Romanesque, in what it did architecture was characterized by massive and closed structures that came to face with the lighter, open and illuminated buildings of the Gothic.
The weight stopped being on the walls and passed to the columns, the groin vaults and other elements that served as sustenance for the constructions.
The change was progressive obviously but each building began to have windows and they were also taller.
In this slow evolution from one style to the other, many consider them at the same time, however this was not the case, there was a coexistence until the Romanesque gave definitive passage to the Gothic.
Derived from conception philosophical-theological of the time is that light was incorporated into the buildings; a light not concentrated but rather diffuse and colored thanks to the games proposed by the rose windows and the stained glass windows. The light would be what would allow us to approach the purest form.
Notable examples include the Abbey of Saint Denis and the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. Constructions that, although they do not show so much height or ornamentation, but are already aesthetically different in terms of the light they have.
In the sculpture the stone carvings of the previous movement are maintained, although a more natural style is printed on the elongated and rigid predominant one.
And as for painting, although there is no specific break with its predecessor, little by little more somber, dark and emotional characteristics were added.
