Romanesque v. Gothic Architecture

631 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Compare and contrast Romanesque and Gothic art

Romanesque v. Gothic Architecture
Art is constantly changing because of influential people with great ideas. The Romanesque, and Gothic periods are no different. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, many Germanic tribes called the “Goths” adopted Christianity and gave birth to the Gothic art style, which is mostly present in architecture, that spanned from the 1200s to the 1300s. During the 1000s and the1100s the church began taking hold of Europe to become what was known as The Holy Roman empire, this period is known as the Romanesque period or “Period of the Church Triumphant”.
The Romanesque period began around the 1000s at a time when the Holy Roman Empire was beginning to take control over Europe. During these times the Church and the Byzantine empire fought to “liberate” the holy lands, Jerusalem, from the Turks. The art of the period was mostly architecture, and it was heavily influenced by Christianity. Most of the Architecture in this period had many similarities with roman architecture, like arches, columns, and slightly slanted roofs; but much of these attributes aren’t only aesthetic. For example Arches, and columns provide support for the building’s large concrete domes, and the domes and slanted rooftops prevents water from stagnating. The Romanesque style ,unlike the older Roman architecture, is more complex, and decorated. The buildings of this time have a few sculptures, carvings and engravings which decorate the buildings' exterior and interior. In summary the buildings of this time resembled the roman architecture, but added Christian culture to the mix creating a hybrid of the two.
The Gothic period began in the 1200s and ended around the 1300s. Europe during the 1200s was still fighting a war with t...

... middle of paper ...

...at they look much blockier than Gothic buildings. Romanesque buildings were mostly square and without much windows, but Gothic Buildings had many large stained Glass windows decorating the buildings walls, Tall Peaks soaring from the buildings’ roofs, and dozens of flying buttresses supporting the building. This caused Gothic buildings to look much lighter than the blocky Romanesque buildings of the time. In the end both buildings have strengths and weaknesses in different areas.
To conclude both the Gothic and the Romanesque architectural styles were advanced and influential during their time. Gothic architecture is overly decorated, and very fancy, while Romanesque architecture is much more blocky and conservative. Both are beautiful in their own way and both provided advancements that served as stepping stones for the architects that build today’s great buildings.

Show More
Related

  • Gothic Awakening In The Middle Ages

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    The European middle ages lasted from the 5th century to the 15th century, which started the fall of the Western Roman Empire and moved to the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period were the divisions to the early, high, and late middle ages. The gothic awakening was in England during the 1750s, caused by the medieval forms. Medieval Europe was awakening from a feudal war and ignorance. The new way of learning was spread in the western society. In the gothic awakening age, towns and kingdoms flourished and built churches across Europe.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Gothic Revival in England Before and After 1820

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    This carried on in to the 18th century where more and more people dabbled in the gothic style with out a full understanding of how gothic architecture worked as a structural system. They confused stages of the gothic period, which were later defined by Thomas Rickman in is writing, and also used Classical forms such as pilaster and venetian windows. Many interiors were of a classical form a layout and some times other style were thrown in. Some gothic forms were even used on the exterior of building where they didn’t perform the function they were meant to. This shows how little the architects of the 18th century studied the mediaeval and how little they understood it.

    Read More

  • The King of Franks: Charles the Great or Charlemagene

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Gothic motifs and symbols in Oscar Wilde's "Picture of Dorian Gray"

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    The term “gothic” comes from the name of the Germanic tribes “the Goths”, who were seen as barbarians, uncivilized, savage human beings. Later, the term was used to describe an architectural style that appeared in the Twelfth Century in Western Europe , and also to illustrate a new type of novel issued in Romanticism, in the second part of the Eighteenth Century.

    Read More

  • The Gothic And Naturalism Movement

    231 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the end of the 12th century and the start of the 13th century the Gothic and Naturalism movement was moving across Europe. Originally a derogatory term Gothic was used to describe the art of Northern Europe. Despite the resistance to the abandonment of traditional architecture the beauty of stained glass and flamboyant architecture of the gothic style quickly gained popularity. The churches were built by the common people and for the common people. Stained glass was used to depict biblical passages in an intriguing way for those who were illiterate which at the time was a large part of the population. Cathedrals were beacons that could be seen for miles with their pointed spires and from the country side they appeared to be the center of

    Read More

  • A Guide To Gothic Essay

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    The term “Gothic” was coined by Italian Renaissance writers who blamed what they considered to be the non-classical ugliness of the art and architecture of the time, to the northern tribes of Germanic barbarians known as Goths. Baron Wolfgang van Schreck’s ancestors had invaded the Roman Empire and destroyed what was considered to be the “true” art of the time; walls that were much too high and thick, arches that were too steeply pointed. The Gothic school of architecture, which included flying buttresses, rib vaulting, pointed arches and the presence of gargoyles on the inside and outside of the building. At the end of the 18th century the term Gothic switched meanings, from “medieval” to “macabre”, through the intervention of a man named Horace Walpole (1717-1797). He was the son of the famous politician Sir Robert Walpole, Horace was a well-known writer and dilettante who gradually transformed his villa, Strawberry Hill, into the most famous Gothic building of age. With this the now cliché image of a Gothic castle is now an accurate representation of the non-classical ugliness of the time period itself.

    Read More

  • Comparing St. Michael's Church In Germany And Chartres Cathedral In France

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Medieval period, which occurred in the years 401 until 1500, is a time in European history that fostered the development and widespread use of various architectural styles. Many structures built during this time still survive to this day, including St. Michael’s Church in Germany and Chartres Cathedral in France. Two of the most common and famous types of architecture during this period were the Romanesque and Gothic styles. Romanesque architecture borrows many of the same innovative engineering techniques the Romans used to build the structures of their vast and powerful empire, such as the rounded arch. Jackson writes, “In the eyes and judgment of the great masters of the Renaissance in the 15th and 16th centuries Roman architecture was

    Read More

  • The Contrast between Gothic Architecture and Romanesque Architecture

    1929 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Romanesque architecture style, which occurred during the late 11th century to the middle 12th century, literally means “roman-like” architecture. The Romans, who were inspired by the Etruscans, used barreled and groined vaulting. Romanesque architects later adapted the use of rounded arches, giving the style its name. The Romanesque style, being inspired by the Roman architecture, used the plan of the basilica style. Romanesque cathedrals were not originally designed for aesthetic purposes. Romanesque style replaced flat wood ceilings with stone vaulting. It was one of the first styles to use mainly all stone, but the walls of the Romanesque cathedrals were built very thickly. They were almost like a fortress. Romanesque cathedrals had few windows as a result of their thick walls so the churches were very dark. In a sense, this echoed the life that was outside of these sanctuaries’ walls during the Middle Ages.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Gothic Literature on Gothic Music

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gothic encompasses many genres of expression. Gothic artists speak out through the forms of literature, architecture, film, sculptures, paintings, and music. Many times, one genre of Gothic inspires another, creating fusing parallels between the two. In this way, each genre of Gothic rises to a more universal level, coalescing into the much broader understanding of Gothic. Gothic writers, such as Mary Shelley, influence Gothic music, as one sees in stylistic devices including diction, setting, and tone.

    Read More

  • The Gothic Novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    Older Gothic literature was in castles and deserted buildings. Modern Gothic novels were written in more populated areas. Another text that can be classed as ‘Gothic’ is the novel ‘Frankenstein’. The reason for it being a ‘Gothic’ novel is the way it has a mutant character. Frankenstein is a mutant and is made by a crazy scientist ‘I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of.

    Read More

  • Comparing Durham Cathedral And The Chartres Cathedral

    400 Words  | 1 Pages

    I chose two cathedrals for my post, the Durham Cathedral and the Chartres Cathedral. The Durham Cathedral, my example of Romanesque architecture, was built from local sandstone in 1087-1133 CE (the east wing was replaced in 1242) and is currently located in Nothern England. The Gothic style structure, the Chartres Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral of Notre-Dame), was mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220 CE due to a fire causing it to be rebuilt. Assembled utilizing limestone, this colossal structure is currently located in France and is known for it’s strikingly beautiful stained-glass windows. These structures share a few similarities, like their ribbed groin vaults (the crossing segments on the ceiling of the hallways), the high-placed windows as well as their huge circular window that were added to provide light and a

    Read More

  • Comparison Of St. John The Baptist Cathedral, Savannah Versus Chartres

    1494 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thesis: Both St. John the Baptist Cathedral and Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Chartres are constructed in French Gothic style which means that architecturally they have many similarities. However, the 700 year gap between their construction offers St. John the Baptist more flexibility in design and style. Still, their likeness and variations extend far beyond the realm of their design.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Medieval Architecture

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    The earlier designs of medieval architecture had features like pointed arches in the nave, window and doorways, small clusters of columns, pillars, small windows and thick walls. This was during the Romanesque period and a lot of the early Romanesque architecture had influence from the byzantine period, which was the previous time period of architecture.

    Read More

  • Gothic Art: The History And Development Of Gothic Architecture

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    The influence of Romanesque architecture towards Gothic is very prevalent when studying the two side-by-side. For example,

    Read More

  • Medieval Art

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jacobsen, Aaron H. Art and Architecture of the Middle Ages. Barbarian Art of Christian      Europe, Romanesque Art, Gothic Art.

    Read More

More about Romanesque v. Gothic Architecture

Open Document