I am very glad that this work is dedicated to Gothic Architecture. However strange it may sound; I am passionate about Gothic art since childhood. I grew up in Riga, on the shore of the Baltic Sea, in the atmosphere of mysterious charm of the ancient city where every street, building and numerous churches and cathedrals preserved the memory of a dark and magical world of the Middle Ages. My mother worked as a tour guide with the groups from all over the world. She used to take me on her excursions in the old part of a town. It was an unforgettable experience of my life. Sometimes, I just close my eyes and see myself, a seven-year boy, standing in a large group of tourists and listening to my mother's expressive voice, “the walls of old buildings just seem indifferent and silent. Each stone has a soul and memory. Just take a look at these ancient walls, touch them, and lend your ear to their amazing stories of the miracle of bygone days.” The medieval architecture has had a place in my heart ever since. At the beginning of its appearance, architecture was not yet a “frozen music” , as defined it much later Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The origins of architecture dates back a few thousand years, when people began to build their first dwellings. It was necessary for protection the inhabitants from bad weather, wild animals, and enemies. Respectively, a top priority was not aesthetics of a building, but its safety. In this regard, I would like to recall the work by Marcus Vitruvius, the famous Ancient Roman architect, “Ten Books on Architecture”, written in approximately 20-30 BC. Vitruvius believed that an architect should focus on three central themes when preparing a design for a building: firmitas (strength), utilitas (f... ... middle of paper ... ...rg/usa/jhhopkins/gothic1836/ Web 16 Nov 2013 Levin, David. Sacred Architecture. Posted 10.21.10. NOVA. http://www.bl.uk/learning/artimages/bodies/vitruvius/proportion.html 10 Nov 2013 http://www.ergoarchitecture.com/quotations/ Web 16 Nov 2013 http://www.exploring-castles.com/characteristics_of_gothic_architecture.html Web 16 Nov 2013 http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/337462-music-is-liquid-architecture-architecture-is-frozen-music Web 05 Nov 2013 http://history-world.org/gothic_art_and_architecture.htm Web 16 Nov 2013 http://www.kuriositas.com/2012/01/cat-house-of-riga-f-you-feline-feud.html Web 10 Nov 2013 http://mediaevalmusings.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/light-upon-light-abbot-suger-and-the-invention-of-gothic/ Web 17 Nov 2013 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/cathedral-architecture-au.html Web 16 2013 http://www.touropia.com/gothic-cathedrals/ Web 16 Nov 2013
During the early middle ages, the Roman Empire began to decline. Rude people known as the Germanic Barbarians begun to migrate into Europe. As a result, three different cultures fused together marking the beginning of the dark ages. With the fusion of Christianity, Greco-Roman heritage and the cultures of the Barbarians, the visual arts of the Early Middle Ages changed for a long time. A major change influenced by the German’s was in architecture. Barbarian’s brought upon the European’s the use of stone causing Europea...
This work is typical for this era because the architectural style Gothic is known for its height being tall and made from stone and tall flying buttress...
It was a don of a new age, belief, conviction, and devotion were felt throughout the period, and it was the time of the Romanesque churches. This was the time to view these boundless, monastic complexes, majestic cathedrals, and painted artifacts; the churches were beaming with activity and life. With the assembly of nuns, monks, and local town folks, these structures offered safety, a simpler way of life thru thought, simplicity, and reflection, which than sparked an overall energy and spirit throughout the air, it was the age of faith. In this period of time a massive building project had begun, within a short time span of 150 years, the construction of more than 1000 monasteries, and abbeys were built throughout Western Europe. Some of the main architecturally features and designs were the massive towers pointed heavenward and seemed as if they were touching the sky, it made the church visible from great distances and became the center point of the towns where they were built. The stone portals separated the nonspiritual, from the divine realm and dramatized the entrance door, as the gateway to salvation. The Gothic style of architecture, or Gothic cathedral began in the seventeenth century and was born in France, Over 580 Gothic & cathedrals class churches were built and constructed between 1170 to 1270; they were often large enough to house the entire population of the town. Two dominant architectural designs and styles emerged Romanesque and Gothic; there were differences and some similarities between the two. If the Romanesque church constituted a rural retreat for monastics and pilgrims, the Gothic cathedral served as the focal point for the urban community physically dominated the town, the design of the to...
Palladio had an exceptional grasp of the use of proportion in classical architecture and believed beautiful architecture improved p...
The Gothic revival in England before and after 1820 was very different in many ways.
Being a peasant in the Middle Ages was hard. During the summers, peasants would start as early as 3 am. They would start their day off with breakfast. Then, peasants would work in the fields. They would reap, sow, plough, thresh, and hedge. They would finish at dusk. Working hours during the summer months were longer.
Architecture is such a wide thing when we talk about buildings and projects. Architecture is defined as the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings. One of the Renaissance man who not only define...
The reason for this piece is to attempt a comparison between two architectural examples that employ classical design from different stylistic eras of architectural history. The two styles I've chosen to discuss are the Renaissance and Baroque periods. An understanding of classical architecture needs to be made, as it is the fundamental style of any period that developed architecturally
When one sees the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral in person or in pictures they are likely to be awestruck. The twin towers of the western façade rise high into the sky, seemingly in an attempt to scrape heaven. Spiky arches seem to grow out of the sides and claw at the ground. Inside it is cavernous with colored light filtering in through the large, intricate stained glass windows. All of these physical qualities make Notre Dame a prime example of Gothic architecture. It does not stand alone in that distinction. One is also likely to see several hundred examples of this style on varying scales throughout Europe. Because, despite its humble origins, Gothic architecture became the standard for religious buildings in the early 11th century thanks to innovative use of new and old design techniques which resulted in majestic buildings that symbolized the builder’s version of heaven.
The Medieval time period was an important era for the growth of culture throughout the entire world. We owe many innovations used in design, architecture and overall style to the works of the many artists that flourished in the middle ages. Each of the four periods of development were unique to one another, yet followed an overlying religious theme that defined the medieval times. The advancements made during that time were able to influence to the 800 years of art that lead up to present day, and still remain visually and architecturally beautiful.
Vidler, Anthony. The writing of the walls: Architectural theory in the late enlightenment. Princeton: Princeton Architectural Press, 1987.
Gothic was first used as a term of contempt during the late renaissance. The Goth's were barbarians- which leads to many theories as to why "Goth" was the chosen title for a style that required extreme engineering as well as technical and artistic know how. Since then vast efforts have been made to rename the style with a term that better encompasses the idea of gothic style.
B. RUDOFSKY, 1905, architecture without architects, a short introduction to non pedigreed architecture, university of New Mexico press, Albuquerque, p. 40, 41 PEARSON, D. 2000, Earth to spirit, in search of natural architecture, Gaia books limited
From the time of the ancient Greeks all the way to modern day, some part of humanity has almost always been interested in the past. For the ancient Greeks, it was discovering Mycenaean ruins and composing stories about them. Today, inspiration is still drawn from classical architecture. One has to look no further than the U.S. capitol building, or even the University of Michigan's Angell Hall to see remnants of this architectural style. This raises the question of why does it still persists? Logically, the best way to answer this is to examine the origins of classical architecture, and what it represented then and now. Furthermore, the study of ancient architecture can show insights into past civilizations which otherwise would have been lost.
In Laugier’s book, “An Essay on Architecture,” he addresses early architects’ ignorance. Laugier explains how architects did not study nature and the set rules nature has already created for us. In his Essay, he reveals the flaws that many early buildings throughout Europe posses. Some of the more general flaws he exposes are disproportioning in architectural design, unnecessary placement, and ignoring the primitive and original purpose of a building all together. Therefore, Laugier believes appropriate and appealing architecture can only be designed and crafted when the architect behind the building has followed the rules of nature.