gothic sculpture

GOTHIC SCULPTURE

Revision

Introduction

• There is a change in the sculptural conception in the evolution from the Romanesque

• Images are naturalistic and related to the time they represent in opposition to the lack of temporality and geometric shapes of the former period.

General Characteristics

• It is inspired in the nature with sensitive forms that can be easily understood

• Approximation to physical beauty from the spiritual dimension of their iconography

• New problems:– Depiction of the space– Volume of the images (anatomy)– Relation of light and colour

General Characteristics

• It is an attempt to present the world as it is. Nature loses idealization.

• Characters’ gestures and attitudes are human. The character represents emotions and natural features.

General Characteristics

• Naturalism affected the two main images depicted:

• The Virgin is not any longer a throne for her son but a mother who plays with him

• Christ is a human person who suffers in the cross or who is death.

General Characteristics

• The characters are full of humanism, they abandon verticality, symmetry and hieratic positions to adopt mannered gestures with realistic movement.

• They tend to depict emotions such as joy or sadness. A good example are the gestures of the Virgin and Saint John in the Calvarias or Pieties.

Evolution

13th century: classicist.

They look for an idealised naturalism.

14th century:

Mannerism in stylization, longer images and with bends.

15th century:

Sculptures of kings, bourgeoises and aristocracy

Façades

• The most important part is the tympanum where the Pantocrator and the Tetramorph group appear.

• The Virgin may appear in the centre.

• Sometimes, in lower positions there is the narration of Christ or the Virgin life.

• In the archivolts other characters such as saints and kings appear.

Façades

• In the trumeau it appears the image of Christ or the Virgin. They are friendly images in a door that is considered the access to paradise.

• The jambs are reserved for the Apostles

• Other profane characters can appear in secondary places.

Sepulchres

• It is one of the new locations for sculpture.

• It can be of two types:– Adjacent: below an arch– Exempt: a funerary bed

• The characteristics are:– Death person depicted on the

bed, laying or praying– Symbolic animal images

• They were commanded by nobility or bourgeoisie

• They appear in the chapels.

Other locations

• Other places for sculptures are:– Choir chairs– Pulpits– Altar pieces

Iconography

• It is mainly religious:– Last Judgement– Christ in majesty– Virgin– Saints lives (hagiography) – Fantastic animals (gargoyles)

• They appear in façades, cloisters or in form of exempt images

Iconography

• Christ may appear as judge or in the images about his life.

• Other common depiction is that of the Crucifixion, with some new characteristics:– Four nails

– Sufferance elements (blood, injury, crown)

– Death or almost death

– Wearing a short piece of clothe

Iconography

• The Virgin acquired an special status• The image changes:

– She is young– Very human– She plays with her son– She smiles

• The clothes are elegant• The image is stylised

Iconography

• Hagiographies: there are saints’ lives. Martyrdoms are frequently depicted

• Fantastic animals are common as gargoyles.

Colour• Polychrome effects were used to make the

images more realistic

• Characters communicate to each other.

Naturalism

• It can be seen in characters in daily activities or in animals and plants

Sluter

• He is the best representative of the sculpture of the late Gothic

• His images are realistic, with great volume

• He created the character of the hooded person

Spain

• Romanesque style lasted for a long time

• The images made by Mathew master in Santiago’s Glory portal advanced the naturalism.

Spain

• The development came with the arrival of French masters to work in the cathedrals of Burgos, Leon and Toledo.

• The best examples are the façades.

Spain

• Gothic sepulchres are commonly realised

• The type with an arch appears on the wall

• The buried person’s portrait lays on the funerary bed

• Polychrome effects were used.

Spain

• The sepulchre of funerary bed could be:– Double

– Single

Spain

• In some cases the person appears in a normal attitude, as is they were alive.