History Romanesque and Gothic art

The term art refers to a wide variety of works. Art can be expressed as paintings, sculptures, and architecture. The history of art dates back as far as time. Many cultures express their lives through art. Art has been studied, analyzed, and compared to one another throughout time. Each era in time has been identified as having its own style according to supplies available, rulers, economic status, geographic location and culture. Two time periods of art I would like to explain and compare and contrast are the Romanesque and Gothic eras, with special attention to architecture.

The Gothic era proceeds the Romanesque and while there are similarities there are many differences and evolutions as well.

Romanesque art spans from the 10th century to about the 13th century. There are many distinctive features from many different regions that influence this style of architecture. The architecture in this period is defined as having thick walls, round arches, sturdy piers, groin vaults, large towers, and decorative arcades.

The buildings had a very defined, simple, and symmetrical form. An example of such a structure is Cluny III a church in Cluny Europe that was constructed in 1130. For almost 500 years Cluny III was the largest church in Europe. It exemplified the grandiose scale of the new stone-vaulted Romanesque churches and was a symbol of the power and prestige of the Cluniac order. Gothic style was developed in Northern France about 1000 and lasted till about 1500. It spread throughout Europe where different regional styles were adopted.

In England cathedrals were build longer than they were tall and in Italy stained glass wasn’t as widely used.

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The most expressive medium for the Gothic style is architecture, specifically, Cathedrals. The use of symmetry and ratios became largely renown to French Gothic cathedrals because it reflected the perfection of the universe as it was created by God. A man named Abbot Suger is acclaimed for beginning this movement when he began to rebuild the Abbey Church of St. Denis. He also believed that God was light and introduced the stained-glass window. The interior of Cologne Cathedral is a great example of the Gothic style’s quest for height. This height was achieved using flying buttresses, pointed arches, and ribbed vaults. The breathtaking views from the stained-glass windows donning floor to ceiling didn’t have any bearing on the cathedral’s structural soundness, since the walls had less weight to support.

The word ‘Gothic’ has been used to differentiate between the pointed arches and the round arches of the ‘Romanesque’ era. Gothic architecture is known for its fine spires, delicate showy decoration, and soaring pointed arches. Churches were made to look like heaven, bright, colorful, and soaring. Romanesque cathedrals appeared heavy, gloomy, and primitive but at the same time delightfully massive, simply honest and unpretentious. They had very thick walls with small windows and so were very dimly lit. Gothic architecture was made up from the Romanesque genre. The arch structure is used in both forms of architecture, along with symmetrical towers, use of stone and timber roof trusses, columns, multi-story facades, vaulting, and the central rose window. These basic forms are similar in both era’s but were just modified and perfected in the later Gothic era.

Romanesque and Gothic architecture did not die out completely in the 16th century but instead was an inspiration throughout the ages as well as today. Oxford and Cambridge Universities were constructed in the 17th century with Gothic style architecture. Gothic Revival proved to be in full force during the 19th and 20th centuries. The largest and most famous Gothic cathedrals in the US are St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and Washington National Cathedral on Mount St. Alban in northwest Washington D.C.. Rome was an inspiration to many cultures as well. Romanesque columns, domes, and arches found their way into many well known and important buildings across the world. The Arc de Triomphe is an example of the French borrowing Romanesque features. In the United States our very own White House incorporates grand columns, symmetry, and clean lines seen in Roman architecture.

Gothic and Romanesque architecture has influenced so much of what we see today around the world. When we analyze these works of art we can put ourselves in the mind of the artist and better understand how differently they lived and society functioned back then. These works of art stimulate thought and conversation. We can determine who and what time period inspired our art and architecture of today. Learning where we came from and how we got to where we are today is a big part of where we might go in the future.