SLIDE- Salisbury Cathedral (by William of Sens). Salisbury (Southern) England. 1220 - 1258.
The English adopted the superficial look of French Gothic
Did not adopt the actual structural differences
They were less concerned with height and light than the French.
Built long, broad naves – broad & spread out – not tall & compact.
Walls remained thick & solid, not like delicate thinner French walls.
Gothic England was strongly influenced by Cistercian & Norman Romanesque styles.
The Salisbury cathedral was built in only 38 years, very short time.
Has a consistent style, not “pieced” together.
The park-like setting is typically English, so is the attached cloister for the clergy.
Has 2 wide transepts and a square apse, which are English Gothic style.
The façade is different in English Gothic cathedrals:
French Gothic facades represent the entrance to paradise, with
They have mighty towers and deep portals.
English Gothic facades suggest the jeweled wall of paradise itself, with
Wider tiers of blind tracery, and lancets in groups.
The huge 400 ft. crossing tower was added in the 14th century
The flying buttresses were added then to stabilize the tower
Mostof the other buttresses are just decoration.
Emphasis is on the horizontalmovement of the arcades,
Not the vertical - like the French Gothic
(Compare to Amiens, which is contemporary).
The attention in English Gothic cathedrals goes to the altar, not the vaults.
Painted & gilded stonework.
SLIDE - Exeter Cathedral. Exeter, Devon, England. 127 0 - 1366.
While the Rayonnant style emerged in France,
English designers developed a new Gothic style of their own,
Called the “Decorated Style”, because it has many decorative elements.
It happened when King Henry III competed withFrance’s Louis 9th
Both wanted to be the biggest patron of the arts.
They were brothers in law
This cathedral in SW England is a good example of the decorated style.
There are many vertical elements here, including bar tracery.
Tall, elegant spire w/ huge tracery windows.
Fan Vaulting is uniquely English - ribs fan out in curves - these have 13 ribs per fan.
Looks like a stone forest of ribs. (See Westminster Abbey for more fan vaults).
69’ high nave -SHORT compared to other Goth. Cathedrals. 300’ long.
SLIDE - St. Elizabeth exterior & nave.
Marburg, Germany (near Cologne). 1235 - 1283.
While EnglandFrance were gaining strength as independent nations.
Germany had developed into decentralized cities.
No longer a strong political power
St. Elizabeth was a popular pilgrimage site & funerary chapel for local nobility.
Beautiful exterior verticality.
Hall churches, like this one, developed in Germany
Reaction to increasing importance of sermonsin church services.
Nave and side aisles are the same height, which
Creates a spacious & open interior that
Could accommodate large crowds drawn by charismatic preachers.
No nave arcades, no clerestory in Hall Churches.
Because all the walls are the same height, they can support the weight –
No buttresses needed.
Beautiful simplicity, and pure lines dominate.
Light from 2 stories of tall windows fills the interior,
Space isn’t interrupted by nave arcades or galleries.
Creates a more unified look, not divided into separate spaces.
French style rib vaults with pointed arches.
SLIDE - Shrine of 3 Kings. Nicholas of Verdun. From the Cologne Cathedral.Cologne, Germany. 1190. Silver, bronze, enamel & gemstones. 5’ 8” x 3’ 8”.
Nicholas of Verdun was an important figure in the development of Gothic sculpture.
Born into a metalworking family,
Hadmany imperial patrons, including the Archbishop of Cologne.
This item was made for the Archbishop.
It’s a reliquary to hold relics of the 3 Magi that were donated to the Cologne Cathedral.
It resembles a basilica church building.
Made of gilded bronze & silver with gemstones & dark blue enamel,
An opulent case for its precious contents.
Like sculpture & jewelry combined.
The figures are very naturally modeled in repousse - pushed out from behind.
The 3 Magi & Virgin Mary are on the front end,
Apostles & prophets fill the niches in the 2 levels of arcades on the sides.
“Almost classical” look, with bunched up drapery on the figures.
SLIDE - Death of the Virgin. Tympanum of doorway, Strasbourg Cathedral.
Strasbourg, France (Sometimes German, sometimes French control). 1230
It is a tympanum relief depicting the death & assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Christ receives her soul, which is represented by the doll-like figure in his hand
He will carry it to heaven.
This appears influenced by Verdun’s reliquary Shrine of 3 Kings
Slight Classical appearance.
German medieval art is so much more expressive and emotional than French or English.
Grief is vivid and easy to see.
The heads are too large for their bodies, also expressive.
Deep undercutting to create more highlights & shadows.
SLIDE - Mary Holding the Dead Body of Christ. (Rottgen Pieta)
Rhineland, Germany. 1300 - 1325. Painted wood. 2’ 10” high.
Germans suffered intensely during the 14th century from famines, war, and plagues.
Their troubles caused an intense religiousness
They often express intense emotion in their religious art -
Everything from extreme joy to extreme suffering.
The joys & sorrows of the Virgin Mary became a very common theme.
Many “Pietas” were carved - “pity” in Italian.
Mary grieves visibly, her face conveys intense emotions: shock, horror, pity, and grief.
Blood gushes from the wounds of the emaciated Jesus
He looks like he suffered horribly.
It is an extremely expressive sculpture, and very humanizing.
These are raw human emotions, not detached divine ones. INTENSE.
Helps to remind the Germans that their suffering isn’t so bad,
Not when compared with Christ’s and Mary’s.
SLIDE - Ekkehard & Uta. Statues from inside the Naumburg Cathedral. Naumburg, Germany. 1249 - 1255. Painted limestone. 6’ 2” tall.
These statues were made for the Bishop of Wettin, Dietrich II.
He had life-sized figures made of 12 of his ancestors
They were patrons & donors to the church
Placed them on pedestals around the chapel.
This ensures their constant presence at Mass.
These 2 specifically are Ekkehard of Meissen, & his Polish wife, Uta.
They were long dead when these were made, but they
Still seem very life-like and individualized.
These statues appear naturalistic, though they are attached to columns.
Ekkehard seems like a very proud, no-nonsense man
Uta seems cool, elegant, bringing her cloak up to her cheek.
She is beautiful & graceful.
Traces of pigment remain on the limestone
Paint well-preserved since they are actually inside, not outside, the church.