Gothic style in artistic culture. Gothic - what is it? Famous Gothic masters

There is no clear chronological boundary between the Romanesque style and the Gothic. Gothic was the highest level of medieval art and the first pan-European art in history. artistic style. The French called this style “French manner”, “music frozen in stone”; “Maniera Gothic” - the Italians contemptuously dubbed it, hinting at the barbarian tribe of the Goths, in the 3rd-5th centuries. invading the Roman Empire, although by the time the Gothic style emerged, they were almost forgotten in Europe.

France is considered the birthplace of the Gothic style, and its basis is church architecture. In 1137, Suger, abbot of the Saint-Denis monastery, began rebuilding the abbey church, which had served as the tomb of kings since the time of the Merovingians, due to the need to increase its internal space. To lighten the vaults and to reduce the load on the walls in the bypass and chapels, the builders erected frame arches - ribs (from the French. nervur - edge). This design consists of two protruding, diagonally intersecting arches and four side ones.

Instead of the previously dominant semicircular arch, they began to use a pointed arch, which made it possible to cover any span in plan. The use of a ribbed pointed vault made it possible to make the walls extremely light and almost

Rib ceilings of the Church of Saint-Denis. Paris

Gothic temple. Incision

displace them, replacing them with tall windows, separated from one another only by narrow spandrels of supports. According to Suger's plan, the bright light in the altar was supposed to symbolize the “sacred light of religion.” The windows of the chapels were decorated with colored stained glass windows, through which the sun's rays filled the choir with rainbow shimmer. “The entire sanctuary is flooded with a wondrous and unfading light penetrating through the sacred windows,” said Suger, describing the eastern part of the temple.

To remove the load from the wall, the lateral thrust of the vaults was “extinguished” by “blades” protruding from the walls or by a retaining ledge pillar placed outside the walls - buttress. Since Gothic religious architecture preserved the basilica form of the building, where the middle nave rose above the side ones, a special connecting arch was used - flying buttress, which was thrown from the heel of the arch of the main nave to the side buttress. Thus, the facade was divided vertically into three parts by means of buttresses or protruding “blades”, which symbolically correlated with the idea of ​​the Trinity.

Such architectural techniques allowed the cathedral to be increased in height to 154 m, which was higher even than the Egyptian pyramids. The wall, no longer a load-bearing structure, was replaced by windows with colored inserts - stained glass.

If the choir of the Abbey Church of Saint-Denis marked the beginning of the spread of a new design of vaults, then its western facade became the prototype of the facades of Gothic cathedrals.

The western façade was also divided into three parts, but this time horizontally. The lower part consisted of the entrance doors - portals. They were designed either in the form of porches (Reims Cathedral) or as an interior pa-

Gothic is the ability to find
beautiful in the dark and terrible. (c)

Romanesque art and the established style were replaced by Gothic art ( Gothic; from Italian gotico - Gothic, after the name of the German tribe Goths). Term Gothic as a synonym for barbarism, it was first used by the people of the Renaissance to characterize medieval art (as opposed to Roman art), which did not follow the traditions and stylistic features of antiquity and therefore was of no interest to contemporaries.

Increased exaltation and interest in feelings distinguish this art from Romanesque. Between Romanesque And gothic style it is difficult to draw a chronological boundary.

The heyday of the Romanesque style, which occurred in the 12th century, simultaneously served as an impetus for the emergence of another style with other characteristic aesthetic ideals and principles of composition of forms. In the history of art, it is customary to distinguish early, mature (high) and late (the so-called flaming) Gothic. High Gothic reached its peak in the 13th century, late Gothic in the 14th-15th centuries. Gothic art, developing in countries where the Christian Church dominated, remained predominantly cultic in purpose and religious in theme. It is characterized by a symbolic-allegorical type of thinking and a conventional artistic language. From the Romanesque style, Gothic inherited the primacy of architecture in the art system and traditional types of buildings. The cathedral occupied a special place in Gothic art - the highest example of the synthesis of architecture, sculpture and painting.

Gothic style in architecture

Cathedral in Strasbourg. The end of the XII-XV centuries. France - Strasbourg Cathedral

Reims Cathedral, western façade. Construction began in 1211, completed in the 15th century.

Salisbury Cathedral, pointed arches. England - Salisbury Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral of the Virgin Mary. 1185-1311 England - The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln

Cathedral in Cologne. Construction began in 1248, completed in 1842-1880. Germany - Cologne Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral, west facade. 1163 AD XIV century France - Notre Dame Cathedral

Chartres Cathedral, north portal. Construction began in 1194, consecrated in 1260. France - Chartres Cathedral

Exeter Cathedral. 1112-1400 England - Cathedral Church of St. Peter in Exeter

...western (royal) portal, completed in 1150. The sculptures are a visible transition from Romanesque to Gothic style

The gigantic space of the cathedral, directed upward, the subordination of sculpture to the rhythms of architectural divisions, stone carvings decorative ornaments, stained glass painting had a strong emotional impact on believers.

Urban architectural ensembles included religious and secular buildings, fortifications, bridges, etc. The main city square was often lined with residential buildings with arcades, in the lower floors of which trade and warehouse premises were located. Along the streets radiating from the square and along the embankments, two- and three-story houses were built, often with high gables.

The cities were surrounded by powerful walls with travel towers. Castles gradually turned into complex complexes of fortresses, palaces and cultural buildings.

Usually a cathedral was built in the city center, which was the cultural center of the entire city. Divine services were held there, theological debates were held, mysteries were played, and meetings of townspeople were held. In that era, construction was carried out not only by the church, but also by the community through professional workshops of artisans.

The most significant buildings and, above all, cathedrals, were erected at the expense of the townspeople. Often many generations worked on the creation of one temple. Grandiose Gothic cathedrals differed sharply from Romanesque monastery churches. They are tall, richly decorated and very roomy.

The dynamism and picturesqueness of cathedrals began to determine the character of the city landscape. Following the cathedral, city houses also rushed upward. The entire composition of the cathedral, with the increasing rhythm of all its main elements from bottom to top, was generated by the religious, idealistic aspiration of the soul to heaven. The Gothic cathedral developed the basilica type of building, in which all its elements began to obey a single style system. The main difference between a Gothic cathedral and a Romanesque one is a stable frame system, in which the main role is played by cross-rib lancet vaults made of stone and lancet arches, which largely determine the internal and appearance cathedral

Frame arches formed at the intersection of cross vaults, the so-called ribs (from the French nervure - rib, fold) in mature Gothic, connected the supports of the spans of the central and side naves, where for each rectangular span of the main nave there were two square spans of the side ones naves

The forms of architecture began to express the Christian idea of ​​spirituality, ascension, aspiration upward, to the sky. A feature of the Gothic style is the dematerialization of form. The design and properties of the material no longer determine the visual image. Entering the temple, a person saw a row of thin columns going up, which ended with a bunch of even thinner ribs of the vaults (ribs) as if floating in height. In fact, these huge vaults pressed on special support pillars hidden in a bunch of thin columns. The lateral thrust of the arches of the main nave was suppressed not by the walls, which were a solid stone lace, but through the flying buttresses by massive pillars-buttresses, carried out and supported by the frame of the buildings and therefore invisible to a person inside the cathedral. Here the visual image did not coincide with the operation of the actual structure. If the design worked for compression, then the visual image expressed the idea of ​​​​ascension, the aspiration of the soul to heaven.

Complex frame structure of a Gothic cathedral, highest manifestation architectural and construction art of that time, made it possible to overcome the massiveness of Romanesque buildings, lighten the walls and vaults, and ensure the unity and interconnection of all elements of its object-spatial environment.

Gothic originated in the northern part of France (Ile-de-France) in the middle of the 12th century and reached its peak in the first half of the 13th century. and existed until the mid-20s. XVI century Stone Gothic cathedrals received their classical form in France. As a rule, these are 3-5-nave basilicas with a transverse nave-transept and a semicircular choir (deambulatorium), to which radial chapels (crown of chapels) are adjacent. The impression of movement upward and towards the altar is created by rows of slender columns and the rise of pointed pointed arches, the accelerated rhythm of the arcades of the upper gallery (triforium). The picturesqueness of the interior space of the cathedral is determined primarily by the contrast of illumination of the main and dimly lit side naves and the colored stained glass windows.

The facades of cathedrals are decorated with pointed arches and such compositional and figurative-plastic elements of architectural decor as patterned wimperg, vial, crabb, etc. The statues on the consoles in front of the columns of the portals and in the upper arched gallery, the reliefs on the capitals of the columns, socles and tympanums of the portals form a kind of multi-story picture, which seems to show various episodes of the Holy Scriptures, allegorical images, real characters, etc.

Town halls begin to be built in the main squares of cities, which are usually decorated. Castles are converted into palaces (for example, the papal palace in Avignon, 1334-1352). In the 15th century a type of rich city mansion house arose, the so-called. hotel (for example, Jacques Keurre's hotel in Bourges, 1453, Cluny hotel in Paris, late 14th century, etc.).

At this time, an enrichment and complication of the synthesis of arts took place, which began in the Romanics, which reflected the medieval idea of ​​the real and the afterlife. The main type of fine art was sculpture, which received a new plastic interpretation in the Gothic style. Static Romanesque sculpture was replaced by dynamic Gothic sculpture, where the depicted figures seem to address each other and the viewer.

Mature Gothic is marked by a further increase in the verticalism of lines and a dynamic upward thrust. Reims Cathedral - the place of coronation of the French kings - is one of the most integral works of Gothic, a wonderful synthesis of architecture and sculpture.

The plot begins to occupy an important place in Gothic art, including sculpture. The role of secular plots is increasing, but the most common plot in Gothic remains Last Judgment. Iconographic subjects begin to gradually expand. Interest in man, in his spiritual and worldly life, was expressed in the depiction of scenes from the lives of saints. An outstanding example of the depiction of legends about saints is dating from the last quarter of the 13th century. tympanum History of St. Stephen on the portal of Notre Dame Cathedral.

The inclusion of real motifs is also typical for many small reliefs. As in Romanesque churches, a large place in Gothic cathedrals is occupied by images of monsters and fantastic creatures - the so-called chimeras.

It is believed that the first work of Gothic architecture appeared during the reconstruction of the Abbey Church of Saint-Denis in 1137-1144. Early Gothic also includes cathedrals in Lanie, Chartres and Paris. Greatest Achievement early Gothic - Notre Dame Cathedral (Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral), founded in 1163, was completed until the middle of the 14th century. Cathedral in Chartres, founded in the 12th century. and consecrated in 1260, remains one of the most beautiful in Europe.

Perfection architectural composition, the grandiose mature Gothic cathedrals in Reims (1211-15th century) - the largest cathedral in France (150 m long with a tower height of 80 m) and in Amiens (1220-1269), where the cathedral has a length of 145 m and a height of the main nave of 42.5 m, as well as the Sainte-Chapelle church in Paris (1243-1248), built as a royal palace chapel, with its many stained glass windows. From about the middle of the XIII-XIV centuries. majestic Gothic cathedrals were built in other European countries: in Italy (in Venice, Siena, Milan), Germany (in Marburg, Naumburg, Ulm, Cologne), England (in London, Salisbury), Spain (in Barcelona, ​​Burgos, Lona, Toledo ), Austria (in Vienna), Flanders (in Brussels), the Czech Republic (in Prague), etc., where Gothic received a unique local interpretation. As a result of the Crusades, the architects of Rhodes, Cyprus and Syria became acquainted with Gothic building principles.

In the Gothic era, true masterpieces of sculpture were created: reliefs and statues of the northern portal of the cathedral in Chartres, a deeply humane image of Christ blessing on the western facade of the cathedral in Amiens, images of the group of Mary's Visit to Elizabeth on the western portal of the cathedral in Reims. These works had a great influence on the development of all Western European sculpture.

The sculpture of cathedrals in Germany (in Bamberg, Magdeburg, Naumburg) is distinguished by expression, vital concreteness and monumentality of images. Temples were decorated with reliefs, statues, stained glass windows, floral patterns, and images of fantastic animals. In the decoration of churches, in addition to religious ones, there were already many secular motifs.

In Gothic painting, stained glass became the main element of interior color design. The stained glass windows of the Sainte-Chapelle chapel and the cathedral in Chartres stand out especially. Fresco painting, which, along with canonical scenes, included secular subjects and portraits, adorned the walls of palaces and castles (papal palace paintings in Avignon). In Gothic miniatures, the desire for a reliable reproduction of nature intensified, the range of illustrated manuscripts expanded, and their themes were enriched. Under the influence of Dutch and Italian art, easel paintings and portraits appeared.

The French Gothic style manifested itself, in addition to cathedrals, in the creation of comfortable and, at the same time, ceremonial buildings, palaces of kings and the highest nobility, and elegantly decorated urban private houses. For example, in the castles of Amboise (1492-1498), in Gayon (1501-1510), in the Palace of Justice in Rouen (1499-mid-XVI century), etc.

In late (flaming) Gothic, especially in France, sculptural altars in interiors became widespread, combining painted and gilded wooden sculpture and tempera painting on wooden boards. The best examples of French Gothic art include small ivory sculpture, silver reliquaries, Limoges enamel, tapestries and carved furniture. Late Gothic is characterized by abundant decoration that hides architectural divisions, the appearance of curved lines, and a whimsical pattern of window openings reminiscent of flames (the Church of Saint-Maclou in Rouen, 1434-1470, the completion of construction was delayed until the 1580s). In miniatures there has been a desire to convey space and volume. The number of secular buildings being built is increasing (city gates, town halls, workshops and warehouse buildings, etc.).

Gothic style furniture

The interiors of early Gothic are still quite modest, and their elements still bear traces of Romanesque style. This period was characterized by wooden or tiled floors covered with carpets. The walls are lined with plank panels and decorated with bright wall paintings or carpets. The windows are glazed, but there are no curtains yet. Paintings are rarely used to decorate rooms; instead, wall paintings and wood engravings are performed; ceilings are made, as a rule, of wooden beam construction with rafters open to the outside, although well decorated. There are also false ceilings, lined with smooth boards or dissected with frequent slats and decorated decorative painting. In countries such as France and England, the center of the interior was a fireplace, very richly decorated. In Germany since the middle of the 15th century. Tiled stoves are beginning to play a major role in the interior. All furnishings have heavy proportions, an excessive supply of material, are awkward and are usually placed along the walls. At first, almost every piece of early Gothic furniture (and not only) has ecclesiastical origins. Later, with the development of furniture technology, well-made church furniture was created for sacristies, choir rooms, etc., which greatly influenced the further development of furniture in urban homes. This was facilitated by the introduction into the design of furniture objects of the technique of frame-panel knitting of wood and almost all other carpentry techniques for joining parts, as well as the invention of a two-handed saw, forgotten since antiquity. The saw was only re-invented at the beginning of the 14th century. in Germany, and from that time on, it became possible to obtain thin and even sawn boards instead of hewn thick, roughly axed boards. Already by the beginning of the 15th century. All the techniques known to us for box corner knitting of boards were developed.

Gradually, the houses of the medieval aristocracy were increasingly decorated, this is especially noticeable in the interiors of reception halls and guest rooms, furnished with well-decorated furniture. The residential buildings of wealthy citizens follow the example of the nobility, but retain a certain restraint and simplicity of decoration and furnishings. The entire design corresponds to the architectural decor of stone buildings, especially temple buildings. Only by the 15th century, during the period of Flamboyant Gothic, when Gothic architecture began to be especially actively saturated with sculptural decor, Gothic ornament began to abundantly decorate previously established stable furniture forms, in which constructive techniques related to the building principles of Gothic architecture appeared. In addition to the borrowed architectural forms of window frames, portals, pointed turrets with phials (spires), columns, pointed vaults, niches, etc., furniture is also decorated on the frame and panels with carved ornaments, in which four main types can be distinguished. These are an openwork geometric ornament, a floral (leafy) ornament, a ribbon weaving ornament and a so-called ornament. linen folds or napkins. In addition, in the late Gothic period, furniture, in addition to carvings, was decorated with painting, gilding and richly decorated metal parts of frames, locks, hinges, rowlocks, as well as sculptural images human faces and figures.

The Gothic openwork geometric pattern is based on simple geometric shapes: circle, triangle, square, which can be easily drawn using a ruler and compass. The openwork ornament represents the so-called. maswerk (from German maßwerk - literally work according to the applied dimensions) in the form of a complex intersection of parts of a circle and straight lines, resulting in a complex pattern with pointed arches and interlacing, reminiscent of the ribs of Gothic structures.

The famous Gothic trefoil, rosette, quadrifolium, and the design of the central window of the cathedral - a large rose - were built in a similar way. Masverk ornamentation in late Gothic was very common throughout Europe and in England. As a rule, the walls of chests, cabinet doors, and the backs of chairs were decorated with such ornaments. Masking is performed using deep carving techniques, when the background is deepened relative to the ornament, due to which the elements of the ornament are finely profiled, their outlines are smoothed and rounded. This is a bit reminiscent of relief carving, although the relief here is cut entirely in the plane of the board (panel), without rising above its surface. The plant ornament is made in the form of stylized sharp leaves and curls, gradually acquiring naturalistic forms.

Since the end of the 15th century. On panels, a flat ornament is especially common in the form of a piece of parchment or linen with patterned edges laid in double-sided byte folds. The ornament is made in flat relief. This type of ornament is found in large quantities on furniture objects in France, Germany and England. It was especially widely used on wardrobes and chests manufactured in Cologne and Ghent.

Gothic furniture in the north and west of Europe (in France, the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and England) was made mainly from oak; in the south and east (in Tyrol, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary) pine and spruce wood was used, as well as larch and juniper .

The main type of furniture for storing things, as well as sitting and lying in the houses of the nobility and ordinary townspeople is a chest, from the forms of which, over time, new types of furniture objects were formed such as a chair-chest, a dresser, a credenza and a buffet. In size, Gothic chests are wider and taller than Italian cassone chests of the Renaissance. As a rule, chests have overhead iron hinges with which the lid was attached. These loops, as well as large applied iron locks with openwork ornaments, are decorative elements of the chest.

Since the 15th century The side walls of the chests are covered with rich carvings in the form of masverk ornaments, floral ornaments, stone frames of Gothic windows and other architectural elements of building decoration. The front wall is also richly decorated; a special place is reserved for the coat of arms of the owner of the chest and a patterned, well-chased lock. Sometimes, in addition to architectural motifs, entire sculptural scenes on religious and secular themes are performed. The painter and gilder also participate in the final finishing of the chest.

In medieval houses, regardless of the status of the owner, it was cold and even damp, so furniture had to be raised above floor level. Therefore, some chests not only had a massive shaped and highly profiled base, but were also made with legs that were a continuation of the side posts of the frame or flat side walls with a figured cutout at the bottom. In the south of Germany, pine chests with engraving and flower painting became widespread. This decor was complemented by an incised ornament on a painted background. Openwork pattern, undoubtedly, comes from deep carving, but the process of its creation is less laborious. With the advent of thin sawn boards, end-to-end ornaments began to be used, superimposed on the main painted board that made up the background. With significantly less labor, the same impression of decor was created in two planes. This technique became very widespread and lingered for a long time not only in German, but also in Swiss folk art.

The types of containers characteristic of Gothic style were, in addition to chests, supplies (dresses). The prototype of such a cabinet is a chest placed on four high legs, which are connected at the bottom by a horizontal frame, the upper part of which is sewn up with a board. Thanks to this, the bottom shelf was created, right next to the floor. Subsequently, the cabinet legs on three sides (the back and two sides) also began to be tightly sewn up with boards - a kind of niche was obtained. The upper part of the supply had shelves that were closed with hinged or hinged doors.

Such suppliers were, as a rule, intended for storing dishes and drinks. The most valuable metal utensils, including silver, and glassware were placed in the upper compartment, and polished copper utensils were placed on the lower shelf, located in the basement. The set was borrowed from church use, where it was purely altar furniture, and only then penetrated into secular life. Such containers were called credenza and sometimes had the shape of a tall chest with a horizontal upper surface. And only over time was such a chest raised and placed on high legs. In the earliest French suppliers, the upper parts were made in the form of a rectangular box, the plank walls of which were connected by simple box knitting. The back and two side walls of the box continued to the floor and were connected at the bottom by another plane for rigidity and strength, thanks to which the supplier stood high above the floor. Two, and sometimes three, front doors, made of solid thick boards, were attached to openwork iron hinges. The doors themselves were decorated with ornaments made using deep carving techniques. A wooden canopy was placed on top of the supply to protect from the ash and soot of still smoking fireplaces. Dishes were placed under the canopy and on the lower surface.

Later, with the mastery of the frame-panel design, suppliers began to make more complex hexagonal shapes, in which the desire of the craftsmen to simplify the proportions and develop the shape vertically, including through the upper turned decorative elements in the form of phials or spiers, is clearly visible. In later and richly decorated stavkas, its side walls rest on thin twisted columns, which are connected in the upper part by pointed arches. The front three wall faces of the supplier have the same arches, but without supports, ending with weights hanging in the air. The ribs formed at the intersection of the edges of the walls are decorated with carved pointed Gothic turrets, or vials. The walls of the supplier are made up of several frames with panels. The frames are heavily profiled on the sides and top, which creates the impression of niches in which panels with carvings on religious subjects. In other cases, the panels are filled with either a Gothic floral ornament, or a mask, or a linen fold pattern, which would be very actively used along with Renaissance ornaments on furniture objects in the 16th century.

In the 15th century Large and very bulky cabinets with two or four doors (in the form of two-tier cabinets) appear, the panels of which, as a rule, are decorated with a pattern of linen folds.

Seating furniture gradually became more varied, but was still reluctant to be separated from the walls, although some of such furniture was already beginning to be freely placed in the room. For a long time, benches and chests attached to walls remained the most common furniture for sitting and lying.

The seats of stools and chairs take on a variety of shapes - square, round, rectangular, multifaceted.

A characteristic type of Gothic chair is a chest, to which a very high blank back with blank elbows was attached. The seat was usually made up, and the back was decorated with floral ornaments or masverk and ended with an openwork Gothic comb, phials, French lilies, etc. The front and side panels of the drawer (chest) of such a chair were usually processed with linen folds. Chairs were usually placed near the bed and therefore received the name bedside chairs. They also served as a home closet. The seat was made of wood, hard, the bottom drawer interfered with the legs when sitting, because... they could not be pulled back, and the carved vertical back did not contribute to the comfort of a sitting person. These chairs were very common in France, and in the countries lying to the north of it they were of little use.

In addition to armchairs, the most widespread seating furniture was stools, benches and chairs.

In poor houses the only type of seating was probably stools, the construction of which consisted of a round or triangular board with three or four cylindrical or rectangular legs. Stools of more complex shapes were also made with a rectangular seat standing on side supports, which were sometimes decorated with Gothic pointed arches. Benches were often made in the form of elongated stools with a rectangular seat for several people, or they resembled ordinary chests, the top cover of which was adapted for sitting. Such benches had a high back and, as a rule, were placed against the wall. There were also benches with a folding back (with a crossbar), which were freely placed in the room or installed near the fireplace. A fairly primitive type of cylindrical chair is also known, which was made on the basis of an ordinary barrel, to which several additional details backrests Other types of chairs were also used, for example, a swivel chair (the so-called Lutheran), chairs (armchairs) on three or four legs of turning work, reminiscent of the seating areas of the Romanesque era. The rest of the seating furniture was much more advanced and better adapted for humans. These were stools and chairs made on the basis of ancient X-shaped stools, chairs and curule chairs. Such seating areas with intersecting support parts have the oldest pedigree, dating back to Ancient Egypt and antiquity.

Such furniture spoke of the power that the owner of the chair or armchair possessed, which was further emphasized by the special elevation on which they stood, and in some cases, also by the canopy.

The earliest known X-shaped stools could be folded. The supporting parts were fastened with crossbars, the top of which were fastened with brightly decorated straps, forming a seat. In other cases, in order to create a chair, the back support was made higher than the seat and turned into a back support. Additional comfort of such a chair was achieved with the help of felt upholstery, a pillow and a footstool.

Appearing in the late Gothic period, especially in Italy and Spain, X-shaped chairs and armchairs only imitate the folding shape and represent, in fact, Renaissance furniture, the so-called. curule chairs, in which their side parts rise above the seat and act as a kind of elbows, sometimes connected to the back. Such chairs were richly decorated with flat carvings, painted and gilded.

Very few beds have survived from Gothic times, mainly due to the dilapidation of the lush draperies. The beds were playing important role in expressing the social status of the owner, which is evident, at least, from the numerous surviving paintings that era. During this period, state beds in the homes of noble nobles were considered one of the most expensive and prestigious pieces of furniture and were often intended more for display than for sleeping.

Like chests, beds in Western European countries had to be raised to elevated heights to protect them from drafts and cold, damp floors. Beds in the Gothic era, if not built into the wall, had a half-canopy, a full canopy, or a large wardrobe-like wooden canopy box decorated with carvings and paintings. Warm draperies appeared that could be detached and packed into chests during moves.

The design of Gothic tables is similar to the tables of the Romanesque period, although their range has increased. Most characteristic type The table is a rectangular dining table with a strongly protruding tabletop on two wooden rectangular side support boards. These shields had flat carvings with Gothic ornaments, and middle part had openings made in the form of a single or double Gothic temple window with its characteristic shape, including a lattice sash. Sometimes deep drawers were made in the underframe boxes. The side panels at the bottom near the floor were pulled together with a special bar or plank.

On the basis of this type of table, an early form of desk was subsequently formed with a massive liftable tabletop, under which there were many compartments and small drawers in the base box, and below there was a container hidden from prying eyes. These types of tables, characteristic, for example, of southern Germany and Switzerland, were used by merchants and money changers until the 16th century.

Traditional ribbon weave or floral Gothic patterns made with in-depth oak carvings fill the tops of these tables. An additional decorative effect is achieved by the contrast of this wide, flat, wax-rubbed carving with the slightly recessed flat background. The side support panels are connected by a horizontal bar, the outer ends of which are usually locked with wedges. Tables are also known that stand on four obliquely set legs connected by legs. Such legs, as a rule, had a flat thread. In the late Gothic period, extendable tables were also known. Tables with rectangular and round tops, standing on one central support, began to appear. Table tops are starting to be covered with veneer. Attempts at primitive inlay are known.

Tables borrowed from Romanesque continued to exist in the form of a simple wooden shield, which was mounted on trestles or on two hollow rectangular frames that folded together.

Gothic style in furniture characterized by significant local differences. The greatest elegance of proportions, decorations, as well as the proportionality of parts was distinguished by French furniture, which is characterized by a large number of types of chests, chairs with drawers and high backs, chairs, benches, stands, cabinets, etc. True, in Northern France, furniture was strongly influenced by the Dutch furniture and had very heavy shapes, but was still beautifully decorated. This influence was due to the work of many visiting Dutch woodcarvers. In other countries, the furniture range was much poorer, and the shapes of the products were somewhat uniform. However, in Spain, the development of furniture art went in line with the French Gothic style, but the decor of furniture objects, as well as architecture, was strongly influenced by the Arab-Moorish style - a peculiar mixture of geometric motifs, as well as motifs of climbing plants with already intricate lines of openwork ornament of late, flaming, Gothic. Spanish furniture is characterized by an extremely complex and rich flat surface finish. Unfortunately, apart from church pews and choir chairs, we do not know any other Spanish seating furniture from the Middle Ages. Wood carving flourished in medieval Spain, but other types of decoration were also used. For example, chests were covered with colored or embossed leather, rich metal (iron and bronze) fittings, stalactite motifs, and turned bars were used.

During the Gothic period, the furniture art of Germany and the Netherlands was highly developed and also had much in common with the art of France. Artistically and structurally, the furniture was beautifully executed. The material was hard wood. Furniture, as a rule, had a frame structure with thin panels. Beautiful carved plant elements, free openwork and folded patterns were used as decorations. Typical furniture products are tall double-door wardrobes with four, six or even nine panels, as well as sideboards with a ladder and a canopy. tall legs. The carpentry work was carried out very carefully, with great precision. The carvings were distinguished by their subtlety and grace. In Northern Germany, on the Rhine, high-quality Gothic furniture with a tenon joint was used. Large cabinets are similar in design to Flemish ones. Noteworthy is the tall cabinet on legs, decorated with folded patterns, and later with floral patterns on the panels. In most cases, such cabinets were decorated with decorative forging. Typical bench chests were also made. The South German style would be common in the Alpine countries (Switzerland, Southern Bavaria, Tyrol, Upper Austria). South German furniture was made primarily of soft and semi-hard wood, had a plank construction and was decorated with flat carvings.

Such furniture was more varied in both form and decor than northern furniture. The furniture was decorated with openwork patterns of plant motifs with curls and ribbons using the technique of flat carving, made on a colored base and enriched with animal figures and coat of arms. The interior was clad in wood with profiled slats.

This technology of decorating living quarters, including furniture, with shallow flat carved ornaments (Flachschnitt) painted, usually in red and green, was called Tyrolean carpenter Gothic (Tiroler Zimmergotik). Fine Gothic furniture has been preserved in Tyrolean castles. This Various types tables, four-poster beds decorated with rich carvings, chests, chairs, benches, narrow cabinets for washing accessories built into the wall and other furniture objects. Here we see the first attempts at veneering and primitive inlay.

The southern Gothic movement also captured Upper Hungary, where beautiful furniture was made. First of all, church furnishings have reached us: chairs for the choir, libraries, tables, etc., with simple shapes, flat openwork carving, painting and gilding.

Gothic style on Italian architecture and furniture art had a very superficial influence, which can be explained by differences in living conditions and climate.

In Italy, where the influence of ancient traditions was still extremely strong, the Gothic style was considered barbaric; Already in its very name there was an expression of disdain for the art of the northern countries, alien in spirit. The Gothic style in Italy brought its own ornamentation, but all the sharp Gothic corners were blunted. The flat carving of southern German furniture influenced the ornamentation of northern Italian cabinets. In the 15th century in Venice and Verona, wooden chests were decorated with beautiful openwork carvings with rosettes and Gothic foliage patterns. Chests from Central Italy (Tuscany and Siena, c. 1400) had figured stucco, which was painted and covered with gilding (stucco).

The Gothic style in England lasted for a very long time. It is customary to divide English Gothic into three periods: early Gothic (1189-1307), decorative Gothic (1307-1377) and late, so-called. vertical, rectilinear Gothic (1377-1590). This was precisely the time when the Renaissance was already in full bloom in Italy, and England was still experiencing the Gothic style of the third period, which the British call the perpendicular style, which received this name due to the predominance of vertical straight lines of structural and decorative elements. At this time, it was customary to cover the walls of rooms with wooden panels of a frame-panel design. The panels were decorated with carved ornaments. The interior wooden ceilings of the rooms were also decorated with carvings. IN early period English Gothic furniture is heavy, its profiles are simple and rough. The main decorative element is a folded ornament. Later, the influence of architecture begins to be felt in the divisions of furniture.

English furniture, even late Gothic, is characterized by simplicity of design and a small amount of decoration.

The main universal furniture object continues to be the chest. As throughout Western Europe, the frame of the chest consists of thick bars, between which panels with flat carved decorations are inserted. The frame of the chest is also bound with iron strips for strength, and locks are attached above the panels. The prototype of the English wardrobe, as elsewhere in Europe, is two chests placed one on top of the other. The front part of such a cabinet is divided by frame bars into six frame cells into which panels are inserted. Moreover, the central panels are wider, and the side panels are narrow. The narrow side panels are decorated with an ornament with linen folds. The frames of the wide panels resemble cabinet doors, hung on massive and well-decorated metal hinges.

English late Gothic furniture is characterized by massive armchairs, the frame of which is made of thick rectangular bars, between which thin panel boards decorated with flat carvings are inserted into the tongue. The panels of the backrest are decorated with a masverk ornament, and the panels of the armrests and the lower part of the chair are decorated with a folded ornament.

The side posts of the backrest and elbows are additionally decorated with vertical posts and spiers. In addition to cabinets, low and wide suppliers - coupe boards - have become widespread in England. Tables at this time, as a rule, have a rectangular tabletop and a massive base, which is attached to the side panels instead of legs. These shields and the base are primitively decorated with figured sawn edges and shallow carvings of a simple floral pattern. The side support panels of tables are often fastened with legs, into the outer ends of which wedges are inserted.

The beds have a canopy, which is attached to four posts, which are a kind of continuation of the legs. At the bottom, the legs have a tetrahedral cross-section, and above the bed frame, the posts are carved with plant motifs in the form of polyhedrons, interceptions of various shapes, etc. The headboard of the bed is made high, and its five panels are decorated with low relief carvings.

In general, English Gothic furniture had a simple design, the elements of which were never disguised and were used as well as decorative elements. All nodes and joints are clearly visible and understandable. All furniture was made exclusively from oak. At the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century. In England, a mixed style was formed - a kind of transition from Gothic to Renaissance, which was called the Tudor style. A classic pattern begins to appear on the Gothic structure.

The through openwork ornament and a special type of arched decorations still belong to the Gothic style, however, the invasion is already noticeable from the new profiling of furniture parts, rosettes and other motifs early renaissance. In most cases, this applies to furniture that has had a Dutch influence, such as china cabinets. The coats of arms of the owners begin to appear on the panels of a wide variety of furniture objects.

The influence of the new Italian Renaissance art began to penetrate into Central Europe around 1500, primarily in France, where they worked at the royal court Italian artists. French furniture of the late 15th - early 16th centuries. takes on a new, completely unique character.

The decor of this time in the form of grotesque ornaments, for example, is combined here with Gothic decorations. Overhead openwork iron loops and locks are still in use. One part of the supplier’s panels, for example, is decorated with linen folds, and the other with a grotesque. The front supports are made in the form of bars, but the plank rear wall continues to descend to the bottom. The frame continues to be hexagonal, but its front wall is made wider than the side ones. However, in Germany, for example, suppliers usually differed from French ones in the simpler rectangular shape of the body and the absence of a solid rear wall. In their decoration, profile images of human faces in grotesque ornaments are sometimes replaced by sculpted male and female heads that are strongly pushed forward. It was transition time, when constructive and compositional clarity and definiteness begins to be felt in the morphology of furniture objects, and all divisions and profiles are specially emphasized and manifested in external form.

Gothic style - important stage in the history of the development of furniture styles. Many new types of furniture were created and forgotten antique furniture technology was resurrected to new life. The carpentry craft, with its lively, original form of expression in ornamentation, was on the rise. In a Gothic interior, furniture is still not entirely mobile: many of its types still gravitate towards walls or are built into enclosing structures, and have a close connection with architecture in terms of borrowing its forms, the nature of their divisions and decorative decoration. Already during the late Gothic period, the art of carpentry was highly developed, which served as the basis for performing even more complex tasks in the Renaissance.

Textbook materials used. benefits: Grashin A.A. A short course in the stylistic evolution of furniture - Moscow: Architecture-S, 2007

Gothic- a period in the development of medieval art in the Western, Central and partly of Eastern Europe from the XII to the XV-XVI centuries. Gothic replaced the Romanesque style, gradually displacing it. The term "Gothic" is most often applied to a well-known style of architecture that can be briefly described as "intimidatingly majestic." But Gothic covers almost all works of fine art of this period: sculpture, painting, book miniatures, stained glass, frescoes and many others.

Gothic style originated in the middle of the 12th century in northern France; in the 13th century it spread to the territory of modern Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Spain, and England. Gothic penetrated into Italy later, with great difficulty and strong transformation, which led to the emergence of “Italian Gothic”. At the end of the 14th century, Europe was swept by the so-called international Gothic. Gothic penetrated into the countries of Eastern Europe later and stayed there a little longer - until the 16th century.

The term "neo-Gothic" is applied to buildings and works of art that contain characteristic Gothic elements, but were created during the eclectic period (mid-19th century) and later.

In the 1980s, the term “Gothic” began to be used to refer to the subculture that arose at that time (“Gothic subculture”), including musical direction(“gothic music”)

Elements that define the Gothic style

The Gothic style has fairly clear elements that define it. The Gothic style is easily recognizable by certain techniques that were then used. If we express this in one phrase, then we can use the following - aspiration upward into the world of the spiritual, its religious sense. This idea was expressed in:

Gothic in the interior.

Gothic- the next stage in the development of medieval art, the second pan-European style. The term “Gothic” was introduced by Italian humanists to designate everything that does not relate to classical, ancient models, that is, in their opinion, ugly, associated with complete barbarism (the Goths are a “barbaric” Germanic tribe).

Gothic style, which dominated Western Europe in the 13th - 14th centuries, became the highest artistic synthesis of the Middle Ages.

The leading art form in gothic architecture remained, and its highest achievement was the construction of city cathedrals, evoking a feeling of lightness, special airiness and spirituality. In contrast to the Romanesque, the Gothic cathedral is a city building, directed upward, dominating the entire urban development.

The transition from Romanesque style to gothic in Western European architecture was marked by a number of technological innovations and new stylistic elements. It was believed that the basis for the changes was the introduction of a pointed arch, which with its shape emphasized the upward direction of the entire building; its appearance was associated with Arab influence.

In Gothic architecture, the basilica type of temple was used. The buildings of the Gothic period were based on a new vault design with a stable frame system. Central nave gothic temple usually was higher than the side ones, and part of the load was taken on by flying buttresses - special girth arches that connected the base of the arch of the central nave with the buttresses (special supporting pillars) of the side one. This design made it possible to significantly lighten the entire structure and maximize the internal space of the building, almost removing the walls.

An important detail of the Gothic building is the huge windows, which seemed to replace the walls and occupy all the spaces between the supports. Window decorated with colored stained glass. Thanks to the stained glass windows, the entire interior space was saturated with light, painted in various colors.

On the outside, a Gothic building usually has two towers on the facade, and between them there is a large round window, the so-called “Gothic rose”.

The feeling of lightness was emphasized and interior decor. The smooth surface of the wall disappeared, and the arches were cut by a network of ribs; wherever possible, the wall was replaced by windows, dismembered niches or arches.

Furniture items of the Gothic period were quite heavy and clumsy; they were usually located along the walls. On the cabinets beds, chairs contained a variety of elements of church architecture.

Later, geometrically precise ornaments, quite bizarre and pretentious, begin to be used on wooden products.

Furniture products rooted in a church setting. Furniture decorated with openwork, floral patterns and ribbon weaving. A characteristic feature of this period is a stylized carved ornament, presented on furniture in the form of an engraved leather scroll or an imitation of the texture of fabric laid in fancy folds.

One of the main types of furniture is box, performing a variety of functions. The chests were made from various types of wood and were decorated with figured stucco molding and rich metal inserts.

Used everywhere benches. They came in a wide variety of types, for example, with a chest-like lower part and a high back.

Bed V gothic style was equipped with a canopy, and in European countries with milder climates it was replaced by a wooden structure, decorated with carvings, panels and trim of different colors.

He began to outlive himself. At this time, the first prerequisites for an unusual new art arose. The name "Gothic", "Gothic architecture" comes from the word "Goths" - barbarian tribes with Germanic roots.

People of the Renaissance with refined manners were outraged that art was taking on a form that was far from the ancient canons. They called the new style Gothic, that is, barbaric. Almost all art of the Middle Ages fell under this definition.

This trend existed for some time together with the old trend, so it is quite difficult to separate them by different chronological boundaries. But it is possible to identify features of the Gothic style in architecture that were not similar to Romanesque.

When Romanesque art was at its peak in the twelfth century, a new movement began to emerge. Even the forms, lines and themes of the works were significantly different from everything that had come before.

The Gothic style in architecture is divided into several stages:

early Gothic;

the tall, or mature, species reached its limits in the 13th century;

flaming, or late, reached its peak in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Main style location

Gothic was popular where the Christian church dominated secular life. Thanks to a new type of architecture, temples, churches, monasteries, and churches appeared.

It originated in a small French province called Ile de France. At the same time, architects from Switzerland and Belgium discovered it. But in Germany, where this art got its name, it appeared later than the others. Other architectural styles flourished there. The Gothic style became the pride of Germany.

First try

With the beginning of the twelfth century, the main features characteristic of this direction appeared in the architecture of various cathedrals. So, if you look at the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris, you can see an unusual arch. It is this building that personifies the entire Gothic style in the architecture of Western Europe. A certain Abbot Suger supervised the construction.

The clergyman ordered that several internal walls be removed during construction. The Abbey immediately began to seem more voluminous, solemn and large-scale.

Heritage

Although the Gothic style in architecture concentrates mainly on individual human experiences, it also took a lot from its predecessor. Romanesque architecture handed over its laurels to this style and faded into the background.

The main object of Gothic style was the cathedral as a symbiosis of painting, architecture, and sculpture. If earlier architects preferred to create churches with round windows, thick walls with many supports and small interior spaces, then with the advent of this style everything changed. The new trend carried space and light. Often the windows were decorated with stained glass Christian stories. Tall columns, towers, oblong arches and carved facades appeared.

The horizontal Romanesque style left room for the vertical stripes of Gothic.

Cathedral

The Middle Ages are always identified with the development of Christianity. The Church gained power not only in religious but also in secular life. She began to rule states and place monarchs she liked on the throne.

Literacy instruction was carried out according to church books. The only literature was religious. Music was also directly associated with Christianity. The Gothic style in the architecture of the Middle Ages interacted with all types of art.

The cathedral became central place any city. Parishioners visited it, they studied there, beggars lived here, and even theatrical performances were staged. Sources often mention that the government also met in church premises.

Initially, the Gothic style for the cathedral had the goal of significantly expanding the space and making it lighter. After such a monastery was created in France, the fashion began to quickly spread throughout Europe.

Forced into crusades values new religion spread the Gothic style in architecture in Syria, Rhodes, and Cyprus. And the monarchs, placed on the throne by the Pope, saw divine conduct in acute forms and began to actively use them in Spain, England, and Germany.

Characteristics of the Gothic style in architecture

What distinguishes Gothic architecture from other styles is the presence of a stable frame. The main part of such a frame are arches in the shape of arrows, vaults going upward in the form of arcs and crosses.

A Gothic style building typically consists of:

Traveya - elongated cells of a rectangular design:

four arches:

4 pillars;

the skeleton of the vault, which is formed from the above-mentioned arches and pillars and has a cruciform shape;

flying buttresses - arches that serve to support the building;

buttresses - stable pillars outside the room, often decorated with carvings or spikes;

the windows are in an arched style, with mosaics, as clearly shows the Gothic style in the architecture of France and Germany.

While in Romanesque classical art the church is separated from the outside world, Gothic strives for interaction between the nature outside and the life of the cathedral inside.

Secular architecture in a new way

Considering that in Dark times church and religion in general were inseparable from everyday life people of that time, the fashion for the Gothic style in medieval architecture spread everywhere.

Following the cathedrals, town halls with the same characteristic features began to be built, as well as residential buildings, castles, and mansions outside the city.

French Gothic masterpieces

The founder of this style was a monk from the Abbey of Saint-Denis, who decided to create a completely new building. He was nicknamed the godfather of Gothic, and the church began to be shown as an example to other architects.

In the fourteenth century, another striking example of Gothic architecture arose in the capital of France, which became famous throughout the world - Notre Dame Cathedral, a Catholic stronghold of faith in the city center, which has retained all the features of the Gothic style in architecture to this day.

The shrine was built where the Romans had previously honored the god Jupiter. Since ancient times, the place has been an important religious center.

The first stone was laid in the new church by Pope Alexander the Third, as well as Louis the Seventh. The cathedral was designed by the famous architect Maurice de Sully.

However, the founder of Notre Dame never saw his brainchild. After all, the cathedral was built only after a hundred years of continuous work.

According to the official plan, the temple was supposed to accommodate ten thousand citizens who lived in Paris at that time. And become a refuge and salvation in times of danger.

After so many years of construction, the city has grown several times. When it was completed, the cathedral became the center of all Paris. At the entrance, bazaars and fairs immediately formed, and street performers began performing. The elite of the Parisian nobility gathered with him and discussed new fashion trends.

They took refuge here during revolutions and wars.

Arrangements of the Notre Dame Cathedral

The frame of the cathedral is connected by many thin pillars using an arch. Inside, the walls stretch high and close together imperceptibly to the naked eye. The oblong windows are covered with stained glass. The hall is in twilight. The rays that do pass through the glass illuminate hundreds of sculptures made of silver, wax, and marble. They froze ordinary people, kings, church ministers in various poses.

Instead of the walls of the church, it was as if they had simply placed a frame of dozens of pillars. Colored paintings are placed between them.

The cathedral has five naves. The third one is much larger than the others. Its height reaches thirty-five meters.

If measured by modern standards, then such a cathedral can easily accommodate a twelve-story residential building.

The last two naves intersect and visually form a cross between them. It symbolizes the life and suffering of Jesus Christ.

Money from the public treasury was spent on the construction of the cathedral. The Parisians saved them and donated them after every Sunday service.

The cathedral has suffered greatly in modern times. Thus, the original stained glass windows can be seen only on the western and southern facades. Sculptures are visible in the choir, on the facades of the building.

Germany

The Gothic style of architecture was named after the tribes living in German territory. It was in this country that he experienced his heyday. The main attractions of Gothic architecture in Germany are:

1. Cologne Cathedral. This temple began to be built in the thirteenth century. Nevertheless, work on it was completed only in the nineteenth century, in the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty. Its style is reminiscent of Amiens Cathedral.

The towers have sharp ends. The middle nave is high, while the other four are of approximately the same proportions. The decor for the cathedral is very light and elegant.

At the same time, constrained dry proportions are noticeable.

The western branch of the church was completed in the nineteenth century.

2. Worms Cathedral, built in the thirteenth century by order of the local ruler.

3. Notre Dame in Ulm.

4. Cathedral in Naumburg.

Italian Gothic

Italy for a long time preferred to remain committed to ancient traditions, to the Romanesque style, and then to Baroque and Rococo.

But this country could not help but be inspired by the medieval trend that was new at that time. After all, it was in Italy that the Pope's residence was located.

The most striking example of Gothic architecture can be considered the Doge's Palace in Venice. Mixed with the cultural traditions of this city, he acquired his unique characteristics, preserving the signs of the Gothic style in architecture.

In Venice, builders missed in their drawings the constructivism that reigned in this direction. They focused on decoration.

The façade of the Palace is unique in its components. So, on the lower floor there are columns of white marble. They form pointed arches between themselves.

The building itself seems to settle on top of the columns and presses them to the ground. And the second floor is formed with the help of a large loggia along the entire perimeter of the building, on which supports are also placed, more elegant and elongated, with unusual carvings. This pattern extends to the third floor, the walls of which seem to be devoid of those windows that are characteristic of Gothic architecture. Instead of numerous frames, an ornament in geometric shapes appeared on the facade.

This Gothic-Italian style combines the luxury of Byzantine culture and European austerity. Piety and love of life.

Other Italian examples of the Gothic style in architecture:

The palace in Milan, which began to be built in the fourteenth century and was completed in the nineteenth;

Palazzo d'Oro (or Palazzo Santa Sofia) in Venice.