Ch 6: The gothic and the rebirth of naturalism

Saint-Denis & the Gothic Cathedral

Characteristics: rib vaulting, stained glass windows, flying buttresses

Abbot Suger created Gothic style; originated at Abbey Church of Saint-Denis, Paris, France

Pitcairn Flight into Egpyt

Medieval stained glass at Saint-Denis; light is material manifestation of Devine Spirit

Moses Window

5 registers illustrate life of Moses; circular portion a particular event; best preserved windows at Saint-Denis

Chartres Cathedral, France— 1134 - 1220 C.E

Chartres, France spiritual center of the cult of the Virgin throughout 12th and 13th centuries.

Claims it possessed Virgin’s tunic she wore during Jesus’ birth

Stained Glass

Purpose: tells biblical stories

Tree of Jesse, reps. genealogy of Jesus, and is in Chartres Cathedral

Rose Window, Chartres Cathedral

Tracery represent petals of a rose; symbolic of the Virgin Mary and her role as a Mystic Rose

Chartres’ Nave

Decorative purpose: carry viewer’s gaze toward heaven

Robbed vault: masonry w/ framework of arches or ribs that reinforce and decorate the ceiling

Gothic Architecture

Flying Buttress: built against exterior wall for support and brace against strong winds; higher buttresses

removes weight from walls

pointed arch allows larger windows

Gothic Sculpture

Chartres Cathedral: now flat footed and faces more animated

Knight on left at ease, classical contrapposto w/weight on right leg

Reims Cathedral

Sculptures are rounded figures w/significant advance in naturalism; very unique for such a short period of time

Music in the Gothic Cathedral: Growing Complexity

Magnus Liber Organi

Motel

The organ began to use air pressure in the 9th Century

Magnus Liber Organi

collection of works created by many composers; pieces arranged in cycles to provide music for feast days of the Church calendar.

Motel

consisted of 3 voices

The organ began to use air pressure in the 9th century

The Rise of Universities

Universities: self-governing corporations w/ charters

University of Bologna and Paris - most famous in middle ages

Madrasa became precursor for the university system

Sorbonne offered studies in theology at Paris University

Peter Abelard

Dialectical method in his book Sic et non: present different view points and attempt to reconcile them

Goal: think for yourself given the evidence you have

Education of Women

Women not allowed to attend the university; educated privately

Southern Italy women could go to the university

Thomas Aquinas

Introduced via media (middle path) aka Thomism introduced a debate of faith vs. reason

Scholasticism: based on Aquinas’ Dialectical Method; bring Aristotle’s thoughts in line w/ Christianity

Summa Theologica: theology based on compatibility of Classical philosophy and Christian religion

He attempts to prove the existence of God once and for all

Christian conservatives argued that reason can never know God directly

The Radiant Style and the Court of Louis IX

Rayonnant Style: repeated elaborate ornamentation

Traceries: ornamentation in stone

Louis IX a reformer and believed in freedom of thought

Royal Chapel of Sainte-Chappelle

Palatine Chapel: a palace chapel

Gothic Cathedral Characteristics

Greater heights in buildings, elaborate decoration and delicate lacy details

The Miniature Tradition

Miniature: very small painting

Illumination: hand-painted decorated manuscripts

The Very Sumptuous Hours of the Duke of Berry

Painted by Limbourg brothers; were court painters

Provides insight into daily lives of nobility and peasants

Civic & Religious Life in Siena and Florence

Florence: the primary economic and political power in Tuscany

Florentine textile industry made them center for production in Western World

Both city governments controlled by arti or guilds

arti or guilds: associations or groups of people w/ occupational based interests

Communes: people together for common good; encourage financial wealth for the city and the government

Painting: A Growing Naturalism

Cimabue, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets, tempera and gold on wood

Byzantine Hierarchy: large Madonna and painting is unnatural

Giotto de Bondone

Madonna Enthroned with Saints and Angels, tempera and gold on wood

Naturalism w/ wide range of human emotions, angles give perspective

The Lamentation, fresco

Naturalistic: scene portrays grief for Christ

Giottos paintings led to Renaissance

The Spread of the Vernacular in Europe

Vernacular: language spoken in the streets; works reach a larger audience

Dante Alighieri

Writer/character

Divine Comedy

Vergil, Beatrice, and Dante major figures

Poem balances medieval w/ classical cultures

The Black Death and Its Aftermath

A democratic disease

Speaks to folly of human ambition

Literature After the Black Death: Boccaccios Decameron

“The Work of Ten Days”

100 prose stories describing plague

Provides a startling description of Florence during the outbreak of the plague

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales

Character’s life choices tell their moral values

Canterbury Tales and Decameron styled in heroic couplets

Christine De Pizan: Early Feminist

• The Book of the City of Ladies

• Earned a living through writings

• Urged women's education