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Chapter Six

The Gothic and the Rebirth of Naturalism


Civic and Religious Life in an Age of Inquiry

The Gothic Style


Gothic was originally a derogatory term adopted in sixteenth-

century Italy to describe the art of northern Europe, where, it was believed, classical tradition had been destroyed by Germanic invaders, the Goths
In its own time it was known as opus modernum (modern work) or

opus francigenum (French work)


Gothic represented a new standard of beauty in Western

architecture and decorationintricate stonework soaring ever higher to create lofty interior space, classical models of naturalistic expression, and polyphonic music that was accompanied by a new instrumentthe organ

Abbott Suger and the Abbey of Saint-Denis


Suger began work on the royal Abbey of Saint-Denis in 1137,

painting the 300-year-old walls with gold and precious colors


Next he added twin towers and a triple portal and surrounded the

back of the ambulatory with a circular string of chapels, all lit with stained-glass windows
This light, by virtue of which, Suger wrote, the whole world

would shine with the miraculous and uninterrupted light, proclaimed the new Gothic style

Ambulatory Choir
Abbey Church of Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis, France 1140-44

Moses Window
Abbey Church of Saint-Denis

The best-preserved of the original stained-glass windows at SaintDenis

Moses was a prominent

theme at the royal Abbey because his leadership of the Israelites was the model for the French kings leadership of his people

Chartres Cathedral
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame at Chartres, located in the heart of

Frances grain belt, was the spiritual center of the cult of the Virgin (Notre Dame means Our Lady)
Soon after the first building phase was completed, between 1140 and

1150, pilgrims thronged to the cathedral to pay homage to what the Church claimed was the Virgins tunic, worn at Jesuss birth, believed to possess extraordinary healing powers
In fact, when a fire in 1194 destroyed the cathedrals original structure,

a few stained-glass windows, including one of the most beautiful, known as Notre-Dame de la Belle Verrire (Our Lady of the Beautiful Window) and the tunic of the Virgin survived

West Faade, Chartres Cathedral


ca. 1134-1220

The different designs of the two towers reflect the Gothic dismissal of Romanesque absolute balance and symmetry as well as the growing refinement of the Gothic style.

Stained Glass
The innovative engineering that marks Gothic architecture freed the

walls of the need to bear the weight of the structure; it also freed the walls to contain glass
The purpose of the stained-glass programs in all Gothic cathedrals was

to tell the stories of the Bible in a compelling way to an audience that was largely illiterate
The windows were donated by the royal family, the noblemen, and by

merchant guilds

Notre-Dame de la Belle Verrire


Chartres Cathedral Central portion, 12th century; surrounding angels, 13th century

Rose Window and Lancets


North Transept, Chartres, ca. 1150-80
A rose window is a round

window with mullions (framing elements) and traceries extending outward from its center in the manner of a roses petals
It is symbolic of the Virgin

Mary in her role as the Mystic Rosethe root plant, it was believed, of the Jesse Tree

The Tree of Jesse Window


Chartres, ca. 1150-70
Jesse trees are a common

motif in 12th- and 13thcentury manuscripts, murals, sculpture, and stained glass

Thought to represent the

genealogy of Christ, since they depict the Virgin Mary as descended from Jesse, the father of King David
in the cult of the Virgin in establishing Marys royal lineage

Jesse trees were important

Gothic Architecture
Key among the innovations that contributed to the goal of elevating

the souls of the worshippers to the spiritual realm was rib vaulting
Rib vaulting allowed for the massive stonework of Romanesque style

to be replaced by an almost lacy play of thin columns and patterns of ribs and windows, all pointing upward in a gravity-defying crescendo that carries the viewers gaze toward the heavens
Chartress nave is 120' high, Reimss nave is 125', and Beauvaiss, the

highest, is 157', the equivalent of a 15-story building

Rib Vaulting
Rib vaults are a form of groin

vault
They are based on the pointed

arch, which can reach to a greater height than a rounded arch


The principles of rib vaulting

were known to Romanesque architects, but Gothic architects used these techniques with increasing sophistication

Flying Buttresses
Flying buttresses extend away from the wall, employing an arch to

focus the strength of the buttresss support at the top of the wall, the section most prone to collapse from the outward pressure of the vaulted ceiling
They allow for even lighter buttressing and more windows
They also create a stunning visual spectacle, arching winglike from

the buildings side as if defying gravity

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris


Flying Buttresses, 1211-90

Gothic Sculpture
In a little over a hundred years, Gothic sculptors had begun to

reintroduce classical principles of sculptural composition into Western art


The jamb sculptures on the portals at Chartres and Reims mark a

distinct advance in the sculptural realization of the human body


By 1245 to 1255, the sculptures are the most fully human, the most

natural since Roman times

Jamb Statues
West Portal, Chartres Cathedral, 1145-70
Figures from the Hebrew Bible

considered to be precursors of Christ


Fully rounded and occupy a

space in front of the column itself


Decorative patterns at the

bottom are reminiscent of Islamic design in Spain

The Radiant Style


By the middle of the 13th century, the Gothic style in France had

been elaborated into increasingly flamboyant patterns of repeated traceries and ornament that have come to be called the Rayonnant or radiant style
This style was closely associated with the court of Louis IX (r. 1226-

70), considered throughout Europe to be the model of perfect rule


Because of his insistence on treating people fairly, his abolishment

of serfdom and private wars, and his reform of tax structure, he was something of a saint. In fact, the Church later beatified him as Saint Louis

Sainte-Chapelle, Paris
Interior, Upper Chapel, 1238-48
Louiss most important

contribution to the Church and to the history of Gothic architecture


Ratio of glass to stone is

higher than in any other Gothic structure, bathing its viewer in light
Walls decorated in red, blue,

and gilt, with golden stars shining down from the deep blue of the delicately vaulted ceiling

Civic and Religious Life in Siena and Florence

By the thirteenth century, Italian life and politics were dominated by two prominent city states: Siena, in the mountainous southern region of Tuscany, and Florence, in the regions richest agricultural district

Since Charlemagnes time, the two cities had been fierce rivals. Siena was a Ghibelline city, which sided with the emperor, and Florence was a Guelph stronghold that supported the pope
Siena and Florence, both republics, were fierce rivals

Central Italy in about 1494, Showing the Republics of Florence and Siena and the Papal States

Siena
In 1125 Siena established itself as a free commune (a collective of

people gathered together for the common good), giving it an immense advantage over its feudal neighbors
Its government, as was Florences, was controlled by arti, or guilds Leading the way in Siena were the merchants, who dealt in wax,

pepper, and spices, as well as Flemish cloth, shoes, stockings, and belts

Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Allegory of Good Government: The Effects of Good Government in the City and Country
Fresco, Sala della Pace, Palazzo Publico, 1338-39

Florence
By the twelfth century, Florence was the center of textile

production in the Western world


The citys bankers and moneylenders made Florence a vital player

in world trade. Florence was Europes bank, and its bankers were Europes true nobility
Florentine bankers invented checks, credit, life insurance, and in

1252 introduced Europes first single currency, the gold florin

Tuscan Religious Life

Even though the guilds, associations of people with likeminded, often occupation-based interests, exercised power in the cities, nothing influenced the people more than the Church Civic leaders engaged in building projects for the new urban religious orders: the Dominicans, founded by the Spanish monk Dominic de Guzman (ca. 1170-1221), and the Franciscans, founded by St. Francis of Assisi (ca. 1181-1226) The Dominicans and Franciscans were both mendicant orders: they neither held property nor engaged in business, relying on community contributions to support them

Franciscan and Dominican Churches


Florence
Santa Croce is a Franciscan church built on the eastern side of the city Santa Maria Novella was commissioned by the Dominicans and was built on the western side of the city, underscoring the rivalry between the two orders

Growing Naturalism in Painting

Because they put themselves under the protection of the Virgin, Siena and Florence began competing to prove who could paint her more naturally One of the first artists to break from the Byzantine tradition was Sienas Duccio di Buoninsegna His Mary has a real body under her robes, and his Christ Child seems to be an actual baby, and a slightly chubby one at that. Marys knee especially asserts itself, the drapery, falling in long, gentle curves, much more natural looking than the rigid, angular drapery of earlier Byzantine works

Duccio di Buoninsegna, Maest


Tempera and gold on wood, 7' 13' 6", 1308-11

Simone Martinis Maest

Martini had worked on the cathedral Maest as Duccios apprentice from 1308 to 1311 Martinis Maest, situated in a public building overlooking the works of civic administration, is even more naturalistic

The Virgins crown signifies her status as Queen of Heaven. Jesus holds a parchment that reads, Love Justice, you who judge the earth
Her porcelain-white skin, tinged with pink, gives her complexion a realistic tone. She embodies a standard of beauty absent in Western art since Classical timesthe physical beauty of the flesh as opposed to the divine beauty of the spirit

Simone Martini, Maest


Fresco, 25' 31' 9", ca. 1311-17

Cimabue, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets


Tempera and gold on wood, 117 x 74, ca. 1285

Even before Duccio became active in Siena, Cimabue, the leading painter in Florence, had produced a large-scale virgin for the altarpiece of the Church of Santa Trinit

Although the Byzantine roots are clear, most important are Cimabues concerns for spatial volume and treatment of human figures with naturalistic expressions
The Virgins right foot is propped upon the throne in an almost casual position

Giotto, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets


Tempera and gold on wood, 10' 8" 6' 8", ca. 1310

According to legend, Cimabue discovered Giotto, a talented shepherd boy, and tutored him in painting. The pupil soon surpassed the teacher

Giottos Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Saints is a remarkable shift toward naturalism
Colors gradually and continuously blend from light to dark around the contours of his figures and their draperies, recreating the realistic appearance of shadows

Arena Chapel

Arena Chapel was the family chapel of the Scrovegnis, moneylenders who were known for their flagrant usury. The chapel seems to have been penance for the familys sins Giotto painted virtually every space in the barrel-vaulted chapel with buon fresco, the technique of painting on wet plaster He painted with scenes from the life of the Virgin and the life of Christ. These are dramatic paintingspossessing a psychological intensity and emotional immediacy that involve the viewer directly in the scene

Arena Chapel, Padua. The Life of Christ and the Virgin Frescoes
Giotto, 1305-06

The top of the vault is a starry blue sky, painted with lapis lazuli On the back wall above the door is a Last Judgment, showing Enrico Scrovegni, the patron, offering a model of the chapel to the Virgin

Giotto, The Lamentation


Fresco, 78" 73"
One of the most moving scenes,

focusing on the real pain felt by Christs followers upon his death, rather than the promise of salvation that is symbolized
Jesus in the left-hand corner

shows Giottos deliberate abandonment of the balance and symmetry of Byzantine art
Giotto was the first artist since

antiquity to depict figures from behind, contributing to the sense of realism

Giotto, Adoration of the Magi


Fresco, 78" 73"

Giotto comes close in rendering the wooden shed in perspective Giotto apparently modeled the star after Halleys Comet, which made one of its regular appearances in 1301 Giotto had probably never seen a camel; these have blue eyes and cows feet

Dantes Divine Comedy

The poem, begun in about 1308, records the travels of the Christian soul from Hell to Purgatory and finally to salvation in three booksthe Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso Dante, the leading character in his own poem, is led by the Roman poet Virgil through Hell Many of the characters who inhabit his Hell are Florentine political figures. Dante himself was a Guelph, but when the Ghibellines seized control of the city, in 1302 Dante was banned from Florence

Plan of Dantes Inferno

Inferno composed of nine descending rings of sinners undergoing punishment, each more gruesome than the one before it Among the lowest are the Guelphs and Ghibellines from all over Tuscany who betrayed their cities well-being At the very bottom is Satan chewing on the worst of all traitorsJudas (thought to have betrayed Jesus) and Brutus and Cassius (assassins of Julius Caesar)

Domenico de Michelino, Dante and His Poem


Fresco, Florence Cathedral, 10' 6" 9' 7", 1465

Petrarch (1304-74)

One of Boccaccios best friends was the itinerant scholar and poet Francesco Petrarca, known as Petrarch Petrarch rediscovered the forgotten works of the Roman orator and statesman Cicero Petrarchs greatest work was a book of over 300 poems, the Canzoniere (Songbook), inspired by his love for Laura

Christine de Pizan (1364-ca. 1430)


Educated at the French court When her husband died, she needed to support three children, a niece, and her mother, so she became the first female professional writer in European history In her Book of the City of Ladies, she attacked male misogyny by recounting the accomplishments of women throughout the ages in an allegorical debate between herself, Lady Reason, Lady Rectitude, and Lady Justice

"Rest assured, dear friend, chaste ladies who live honestly take absolutely no pleasure in being raped. Indeed, rape is the greatest possible sorrow for them." "The man or the woman in whom resides greater virtue is the higher; neither the loftiness nor the lowliness of a person lies in the body according to the sex but in the perfection of conduct and virtues."

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