Gothic Art

Can you give some examples of Gothic artists?

Here goes - I'll also give examples of their best known works. Either you'll know them or of them, can look them up, or shall I post them so that everyone can see? Cimabue Maesta (painting of the Madonna around 1280-1285) Duccio (Holy Women at the sepulchre around 1308-1311) Giotto (very famous painter who did the Deposition of Christ around 1304-1313) Wilton Diptych (little is known about his work, but he was very good, and did a famous panel showing the Virgin Mary surrounded with angels c. 1395) Robert Campin (Portrait of a woman around 1420-1430) Jan van Eyck (The Arnolfini Marriage around 1434) Rogier van der Weyden (Deposition around 1435. Wonderful painter.) Hieronymus Bosch (Temptation of ST. Anthony around 1505. Famous for bizarre and fantastic images in many of his paintings.) Matthias Gr�newald (Crucifixion around 1510-1515)

help me, here...i always thought gothic and medieval were rather synonymous..can you clear this up for me?

Sure, Wolf. Medieval art is also called Byzantine Art. This is an artform which in turn can be devided into two different periods. The first golden age of Byzantine Art started around 313, after 300 years of Christian persecution, when the Emperor Constantine recognized the Christian church as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Artists turned away from the Greco-Roman style of early Christian Art, to develop this entirely new style. You were right in thinking that gothic and medieval are synonymous, becau e Byzantine art had a profound influence on Gothic art. And this Byzantine/Medieval period ran right through the Middle Ages to the time of the Renaissance. There came a second golden age in the 8th and 9th centuries. Gothic Art started emerging by the 13th century, and denotes a period of time rather than describing a set of identifiable features. Though there are some recognizable characteristics of Gothic style (especially in architecture, of course), we must bear in mind that the period haad a time span of over 200 years. But to make it easier, we can use the term 'Gothic' for art that was produced after the Romanesque (Medieval) period, and before the Renaissance.

so an example of gothic architecture would be the gargoyles used to protect structures from evil spirits?

Yes, absolutely. And these things actually served a practical purpose as well originally. Though they were very imaginatively done in the form of grotesque figures, they allowed the water from roof gutters to flow away without ruining the walls. With the introduction of lead drainpipes in the 16th century gargoyles were no longer really needed, and from then on similar sculptures, but not serving the function of gargyles were used to decorate walls.

I associate the Gothic period with novels and architecture. It will be interesting to see some examples of art.

There are indeed some fine examples to be seen - soon.

Maest� by Cimabue 1280-85 386x225cm

personally, I like the inclusion of the two art critics at bottom center of this one...

Stop!!! I can't take it any more - my tummy's beginning to hurt, and my husband thinks I'm doing naughty things to myself in front of the computer!! The most prominent artist working in Florence at the end of the 13th century was Cimabue (c.1240-c.1302), who is traditionally held to be Giotto's teacher. 'Maest�' ('Majesty') is his best known work. The term 'Maest�', was used to refer to a painting of the Madonna and Child in which the figure of Mary sits on a throne and is surrounded by angels (and sometimes art critics at the botom!!). Dimabue's painting has such sweetness and dignity, there is emotional content in it, not just rigid, stylized fig res of the traditional Byzantine icon. It marks the beginning of something new and exciting.

Is all Gothic art religious?

Just about - until the 15th century when gothic art started going in two directions. One was to the South (in Florence), and was the birth of the Italian Renaissance. The other took place in the North (Low Countries) where painting went through an independent, but equally radical transformation - the Northern Renaissance movement. But even during this period most of it was religious. I'll try and find an example of something without the religious element, and post it.

Okay, I've found some images, but I'd first like to post something inbetween, by an artist called, Hieronymus Bosch. This guy's work is absolutely stunning, and almost un-Gothic. Hieronymus Bosch 'The Seven Deadly Sins' 1485 I think this is an absolutely fantastic painting. Makes you want to go out and commit all of them! Shall we have a guess at the sins of each section?

Let's start with the one at the bottom, in the middle, and work our way around in a clockwise direction. So, this first one must be about slutting around!

i dunno about that one but one at the top (the dude at the table) is gluttony.

I'm having a lot of trouble with this game. Maybe it would help if I knew what the 7 deadly sins were!

pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, covetousness, and sloth

Thank you! That might be anger at 10:00 (I'm having trouble w/the others, though).

actually, the place i went to make sure i had the sins down right had a copy of that painting!

So post us the answer, Wolf! 'Cos I can't tell either! I get distracted by the detail, and find myself losing concentration where the issue at hand is concerned.

i have to go back and look but the one at 12 o'clock was gluttony for sure!

Hilarious that one, isn't it? You could just post the url, and people can look it up for themselves.

Giovanni del Biondo Altarpiece of the Baptist 14th century Tempera on Panel I find this a stunning work of art, though the central figure (can't figure out whether it's Christ or John the Baptist) is to me absolutely terrifying.

I wouldn't say terrifying, but definitely not amused.

Did you look at his feet? They are like the claws of a raven or something as he stands there on that poor chap. And the way they're sticking out from under the smart drapery he's wearing - sort of reveals a hidden savageness, that none of us will ever admit to out loud.

And here's a nice, grissly example of the delight people used to take in people's beheadings in those days... Altichiero (c. 1330-c.1395) 'The Beheading of St. George' 1385 Not much is known about the artist. He was Italian, probably came from Zevio near Vernoa, was active between 1372 and 1384, and is sometimes considered to be the founder of the Veronese School.

Melchior Broederlam 'Presentation in the Temple' 1893-99 Thought very stern, I just love the colours of this one. Very rich, very deep.

Poor St. George! And after all he did for them, running off that dragon! Is that supposed to be Elizabeth with John the Baptist? She's downright frumpy.

Yes. She reminds me a bit of the Duchess of York!

LOL! Except she was no saint!

Quite!

Giotto 'Deposition of Christ' 1304-1313 230cm x 200cm Giotto was probably the first recognised genius of Gothic art. This painting is part of a cycle of frescoes in the Arena Chapel in Padua, showing scenes from the life of the Virgin and from the Passion. Though Giotto was a Gothic painter, I find this one almost 'ready' for the Renaissance; what he presents us with is such an intense and moving drama, that it reminds me a bit of some Wagner Opera. I find His Mother very moving - a stately figure, holding the body close to her, controlled and tragic. Mary Magdalene is holding His feet humbly, looking at the marks of the nails. St John makes a wildly despairing gesture of grief. The angels swoop through the air, their faces filled with horror and sorro . Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea stand to the side, quiet and mournful, and Mary's companions wail and and cry the tears that she does not. Perhaps the strange control in her pose springs from a prophetic inner certainty that Christ would rise again.

There's something very fanciful about it.

How do you mean?

It's just so melodramatic with all those distraught angels, and people standing around with their arms spread but their mouths closed. Pretty stoic bunch of mourners if you ask me. Of course I wasn't present at the Passion to really know what it was like, but somehow I suspect it was nothing like this.

But Gothic Art wasn't about presenting things as they really happened - it was about presenting them as they would have happened, had they happened in a proper manner!

Ahh...then in that case, it was a very proper Passion.

ha-ha!