GOTHIC SCULPTURE

1. DEFINITION
Gothic sculpture continued tasks of sculpture as defined by the Romanesque
period, i.e. sculptural decoration, gates and tombs, but it created new genres, too, e.g.
ecclesiastical statues, winged altarpieces and heraldic stones.
Gothic sculpture was born on the wall, in the middle of the 12th century in Ile-deFrance, when Abbot Suger built the abbey at St. Denis (ca. 1140), considered the first
Gothic building, and soon after the Chartres Cathedral (ca. 1145). Prior to this there had
been no sculpture tradition in Ile-de-France-so sculptors were brought in from Burgundy,
who created the revolutionary figures acting as columns in the Western (Royal) Portal of
Chartres Cathedral-it was an entirely new invention, and would provide the model for a
generation of sculptors.
2. CHARACTERISTICS
-

It is inspired in the nature with sensitive forms that can be easily understood.
Approximation to physical beauty from the spiritual dimensions of their
iconography.
- It is an attempt to present the world as it is. Nature loses idealization.
- Characters gestures and attitudes are human. The character represents
emotions and natural features.
- The characters are full of humanism; they abandon verticality, symmetry and
hieratic positions to adopt mannered gestures with realistic movement.
- They tend to depict emotions such as joy or sadness. Good examples are the
gestures of the Virgin and Saint John in the Calvarias or Pieties.
New problems:
- Depiction of the space
- Volume of the images (anatomy)
- Relation of light and colour
3. WHAT DISTINGUISHES IT FROM THE OTHER PERIODS IN THE
WESTERN CLASSIC PERIOD?
Gothic sculpture evolved from the early stiff and elongated style, still partly
Romanesque, into a spatial nd naturalistic feel in the late 12th and early 13th century.
Influences from surviving ancient Greek and Roman sculptures were incorporated into
the treatment of drapery, facial expression and pose. utch-Burgundian sculptor Claus
Sluter and the taste for naturalism signaled the beginning of the end of Gothic sculpture,
evolving into the classicistic Renaissance style by the end of the 15th century.

During the Renaissance, sculptors produced a remarkable range of works, from

small carved figures and relief images to massive public monuments and religious
statues. In some parts of Europe, particularly Italy, the rise of humanism led to an interest
in the sculptural styles of ancient Greece and Rome. However, much of the sculpture
produced in northern Europe during the Renaissance showed the influence of the Gothic
art of the Middle Ages.
Sources:
http://www.hung-art.hu/tours/11_16_c3.html
http://www.europeansculpture.nl/about_sculpture.html
http://www.slideshare.net/mfresnillo/gothic-sculpture
4. PICTURES

a. The precise origins of the

Abbey are unclear
b. 14th Century
c. St Catherine of Alexandria,
with wheel of martyrdom,
exacting revenge on Emperor
Maxentius. The grant also
mentions the dedication: to
Saint John the Evangelist. A
statue of St John with his
emblem can be found carved
into the arches of the chapter
house. His image also
appeared on the Abbey's great
seal.

a. Bendetto Antelami
b. 1180
c. Bendetto was working with the sculptural
decoration of the Baptistry of Parma, a building of
which he was probably also the architect. He
sculpted a citole player.

a. (Gargoyle Notre-Dame d'Amiens, France)

b. 12 century
c. During the 12th century, when gargoyles appeared in Europe, the
Roman Catholic Church was growing stronger and converting many
new people. Most of the population at this time were illiterate, and
therefore images were very important to convey ideas. In the
medieval world many creatures had mystical powers attributed to
them. Also, human qualities were sometimes ascribed to specific
animalsthat is, the animals were anthropomorphized.

a. Giovanni de Cecco
b. 1376
c. The faade of the Siena Cathedral is a beautiful collection of artwork.
Statues, gargoyles, columns, reliefs all carved out of marble.

a. germany
b. c. 1300-25
c. The emotion portrayed is very real. The physical exaggeration
and lurid colour serve to heighten the emotional impact.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedetto_Antelami
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargoyle
http://skww.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/facade-of-the-duomo-di-siena/
http://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=gargoyles
%20ppt&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CDMQFjAC&url=https%3A%2F
%2Fstaff.rockwood.k12.mo.us%2Fwilhelmlauren%2Fkaleidoscopes%2FDocuments
%2Fgargoyle%2520images.ppt&ei=Aer5UZwNoKzlQWmyoG4CA&usg=AFQjCNEbmgwY7yn05t0MUrRWjhUA3Aj2A&bvm=bv.50165853,d.dGI
http://05varvara.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/virgin-with-the-dead-christ-rottgen-pietabonn-germany-circa-1300-25/