Gothic architecture
Hello everyone! Today I will introduce you to the medieval Gothic architectural style and its relationship with sculpture.
Gothic architecture originated in France in 1142 and quickly spread throughout Europe, bringing not only a revolution to European architecture, but also the peak of medieval Christian art, which is another unified aesthetic view after the ancient Greco-Roman art style.
Gothic architecture is very different from the Romanesque architecture that preceded it, the overall style is tall and slender, and it expresses the strong emotions of mystery, mourning and sublime with excellent architectural skills, which have a major impact on other arts in later generations.
The pointed ribbed arch divides the vault of the building into multiple small parts, thus reducing the weight of the building roof, and the walls of the building are replaced by windows, prompting the prevalence of huge stained glass windows.
Sculpture is no longer an ornament that is only part of architecture or can only be used as a column head, as in the Romanesque period, because the ribbed arches from the ceiling to the ground have replaced the architectural function of the pillars, so that sculpture is completely liberated from the decorative role attached to the building and becomes an art form that can independently interpret or express meaning.
Although Gothic sculpture is no longer an ornament attached to architecture, the use of sculpture to decorate churches is still a traditional practice in the Middle Ages.
Gothic sculpture is still heavily used on the exterior walls of churches, at the entrances of gates or on the grids of church facades, and sculptures are hardly visible inside the church. In the early Gothic period, the statue figures were consistent with the architectural style, standing vertically, the face was dull and expressionless, still retaining the characteristics of the Byzantine frescoes, and the folds of clothing only existed as lines to emphasize the form, but at this time the statue had become a high relief and a circular carving, and gradually separated from the wall.
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