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USC AHIS 120g - High Gothic and Italian Romanesque

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AHIS 120g 1st Edition Lecture 14Current LectureHigh Gothic art in France- Sainte-Chapelle, Pariso King Louis IX still had the will and means to build on an impressive scale duringmid-thirteenth century.o The increasing importance of the monarchy and the rising importance of Paris,where the court was located, is reflected in the degree to which Louis was able todefine a court style, manifest as an appreciation of visual elegance and materialluxury. o The court chapel of Sainte-Chapelle was designed by 1241 and completed withinseven years. o The impetus for building was provided by Louis’s acquisition of the Crown ofThorns and other relics of Christ’s Passion. Such relics required a glorious space for their display. o Rich colors, elaborate patterns, and extensive amounts of gold cover Sainte-Chapelle’s walls, vaults and other structural members. o On entering, a viewer is virtually immersed in its aura of light, different from anynormal experience of the physical world. As with Hagia Sophia, spirituality is made manifest through themateriality of architecture and its decoration. English Gothic- England developed a new style as the influence of French Gothic forms with Anglo-SaxonRomanesque features. - English Gothic developed as a well-defined character of its own known as Early EnglishStyle, which dominated the second quarter of the thirteenth century.- Salisbury Cathedral:o In contrast with French Gothic compactness and verticality, Early English Styleopted for a long and low, sprawling look.o Height was not the main goal. Thus, buttresses were purely for decorative purposes and not as integraldesign elements.o The towers have shrunk to stubby small towers.o The plan features a double transept which retains the segmented quality of theRomanesque.o Further English interpretations of French interiors include the façade. Horizontal divisions dominate at the expense of the vertical. The nave is perceived not as a well not as a succession of vertical bays butas a series of arches and supports. These stand out against the interior. o Another distinctive feature is the steep curve of the nave vault. The ribs rise all the way from the triforium level. As a result, the clerestory gives the impression of being tucked awayamong the vaults.Italian Romanesque- Florence Cathedralo The dome was intended to be s grand structure that would not only serve as thespiritual center of the city, but as a statement of its wealth and importance.o The original plan provided for a large basilica with a high arcade and broadproportions that differs slightly from contemporary Gothic structures in France.o High pointed arches in the nave arcade rest on piers—vertical supports—articulated with leaf-shaped capitals.o Flat moldings rise to the clerestory level, above the arcade. o Windows in the clerestory and aisles are relatively small, leaving much more wallsurface than in French cathedrals. Painting in Tuscany- Italy’s ties to the Roman past and the Byzantine present would inspire Italian painters torender forms in naturalistic and monumental images.- Writing in the 16th century, biographer Giorgio Vasari reported that in the mid-thirteenthcentury, “Some Greek painters were summoned to Florence by the government for noother purpose than the revival of painting in their midst, since that art was not so muchdebased and lost.”o Vasari assumed that medieval Italian painting was all but nonexistent andattributes to Byzantine art great influence over the development of 13th centuryItalian art. - Madonna Enthroned, Cimabue of Florence (ca. 1280)o The large scale of the altarpiece—it is more than 12 feet high—made it thedevotional focus of the church. o Its composition recalls Byzantine icons.o Mary and her son occupy a heavy golden throne, flanked by rows of angels oneither side. Hebrew Bible prophets holding scrolls appear below, as if forming afoundation for Mary’s throne; the relationship between the Hebrew Bibleand the New Testament is an important theme in Christian art. o Like Byzantine art, Cimabue uses linear gold elements to enhance her dignity, butin his hands the network of gold lines follows the line of her body instead ofcreating abstract patterns. - Madonna Enthroned, Giottoo Blended classicism and Gothic naturalism to express strong emotional content.o Giotto models the figures in light, so that they appear to be solid, sculpturalforms. o Giotto achieves a gradual movement from light into dark, so that the figuresappear to be three-dimensional forms.o Giotto further suggests space by placing angel kneeling before the throne and bythe overlapping figures of saints. - Frescoes of Arena Chapel, Giotto (ca. 1305)o Giotto’s innovative ideas about light and space were accompanied by a gift ofstorytelling. o Dedicated to ‘Our Lady of Charity’, the structure is a one-room hall covered witha barrel vault. o The chapel is painted from floor to ceiling in fresco painting. o A blue field with fold stars symbolic to Heaven dominates the barrel vault, belowwhich the walls are divided into three registers—horizontal rows.  Each register contains rectangular fields for narrative scenes representingthe lives of the Virgin and Christ. o The theme commemorates the Incarnation of Christ and marks the beginning ofthe plan of salvation.  At the other end of the chapel, Giotto depicted the Last Judgment. o At the foot of the Last Judgment, Giotto has included the figure of the donor,offering his chapel to the Virgin and angels. o The top register depicts stories of the early life of Mary and her parents.o The center register focuses on stories of Christ’s life and miracles.o The lowest register depicts his Passion, Death, and


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