- Origin of Gothic painting
- Origin of the term Gothic
- Characteristics of Gothic painting
- The valuation of the detail
- Spanish gothic painting
- Flemish Gothic painting
- Famous Gothic Paintings and Their Authors
- References :
The Gothic painting was one of the artistic expressions of Gothic art, which developed in Western Europe between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. It was characterized by the predominance of religious themes, the appreciation of detail, a more realistic and expressive style, as well as the strong contrast between darkness and light.
During this period, the most used techniques were tempera (tempera) and oil, in addition to the use of wood as a support. On the other hand, Gothic painting also stood out for the change in the space where the works were carried out, since the progressive reduction of the murals caused it to develop in the stained glass windows and in the miniatures of the manuscript books, known as codices.
Detail from The Kiss of Judas, a Gothic painting by Giotto. Source: pixabay.com
Its evolution was divided into three stages: linear Gothic, Italian Gothic and International Gothic. The first was the linear or French Gothic (13th century), which was characterized by the special emphasis on the lines that defined the contours.
The second became known as Italian Gothic (14th century) and had two great schools: Florence and Siena. This phase was noted for the depth of the works, the use of objective coloring and greater precision and accuracy in the figures and representations.
Finally, the third stage was the international Gothic (15th century), which stood out for its realism and for the appearance of Flemish influences that were mixed with Italian and French.
Origin of Gothic painting
Gothic painting succeeded the Romanesque style, which prevailed during the 11th and 12th centuries in Western Europe.
This had been the first clearly Christian type of art and it stood out for putting the emphasis more on the narrative than on the illustrative, leaving the details of the work in the background and focusing on its meaning.
The Gothic, for its part, continued with the Christian theme but added more complexity to the works, highlighting the decorative over the symbolic. For this reason, his figures tend to be more expressive and realistic, and present more humanized features.
Romanesque art was the reflection of a time when rural life still predominated and societies were made up of warriors and peasants. That gave it a more simplistic and idealized character.
On the other hand, the Gothic style coincided with the emergence of large cities, the development of the bourgeoisie and the founding of the first universities.
It was a time marked by conflicts, popular revolts, wars and economic, religious and cultural changes, which influenced art and made it more complex.
Gothic painting emerged in northern France and from there it spread throughout Europe. Later it was replaced by the Renaissance period, which meant a return to the values of the Greco-Roman culture, with a greater humanization and a free contemplation of nature.
Origin of the term Gothic
The word "gothic" comes from the Latin word "gothicus" which means "relative to the Goths", an ancient Germanic people that invaded Spain and Italy after the fall of the Roman Empire. These were called as "barbarians" by the attacked populations.
The use of the term "gothic" associated with art has a derogatory and pejorative meaning. It was named this way during the Renaissance and alluded to the disorderly and often lacking logic designs of the architectural constructions made during this period of the Middle Ages.
In contrast to the perfection and rationality of the classical style, the Renaissance considered this stage to be rude, crude and "barbaric." In this way, by the association of this word with the Gothic people, they defined it with that name.
Over time the term Gothic became linked to the dark and the emotional.
Characteristics of Gothic painting
Gothic painting was characterized by the predominance of religious themes, mainly inspired by the life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary and, to a lesser extent, by that of angels, saints and apostles.
However, these characters were portrayed from a more human than divine point of view, showing feelings and emotions, in contrast to the rigidity of the Romanesque style.
On the other hand, his works are more realistic, expressive and descriptive than those of the previous period, and stand out for the importance in the use of light and bright colors.
In addition, the progressive reduction of the walls made it develop in large windows, in the miniatures of the codices and in wooden tables.
Regarding the technique, at first the most used was tempera or tempera paint, in which the pigment is dissolved in water and thickened with egg, animal fat, casein, rubber or a glycerin solution.
Later on, oil paint was used, which mixes the pigments with a binder based on oils of vegetable origin.
The valuation of the detail
Another of the salient features of Gothic painting is its complexity and the care of the finishes. The figures are more humanized and present stylized and soft shapes, which give them a more natural appearance.
On the other hand, the works stand out for their depth and for the search for a closer approach to reality. Also by the use of bright colors, which cause a strong contrast between light and dark, and the use of gold backgrounds.
In turn, in some Gothic paintings advances in the use of perspective are perceived.
Spanish gothic painting
In Spain, Gothic painting also abandoned murals to develop mainly on altarpieces, the structures that are placed behind altars in Catholic churches.
As in other parts of Europe, its evolution occurred in four stages, according to the influence received. The linear or French phase can be seen, for example, in El frontal de Avià, an altar that was found in the Church of Santa María de Aviá, in Barcelona, and that can currently be visited in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia.
The Italian Gothic period, for its part, is present in works such as the altarpieces of the Santa Clara Convent, in Palma de Mallorca; of Don Juan Manuel, in the cathedral of Murcia, of Bernabé de Modena; and of the Holy Spirit, in the Cathedral of Manresa, Catalonia.
Meanwhile, the international stage appears in the altarpieces of San Pedro de Tarrasa, made by Luis Borrasá, and of the Virgin of the Prado Museum, by Nicolás Francés. Also in the tempera painting Saint George slaying the Dragon, by Bernardo Martorell.
Finally, the Spanish-Flemish phase can be seen in La Virgen de los Conselleres, by Luis Dalmau, and in the altarpieces of Saints Abdón and Senén and that of Constable Pedro de Portugal, by Jaime Huget. Also in La Piedad, by Fernando Gallego and in the Portrait of Santo Domingos de Silos, by Bartolomé Bermejo.
Flemish Gothic painting
The Flemish Gothic style emerged in Flanders in the early 15th century, from where it spread throughout Europe. His main innovation was the use of oil painting, which allowed him to give a greater degree of detail and realism to the works.
Among its main characteristics were the use of perspective, the special treatment of color and light, and fidelity in human faces, which shows an approach to the Renaissance style that came after it.
However, Flemish Gothic painting maintained the religious theme, with the detail that in many works the aristocrat who commissioned the works appears on the scene as another character.
Among the relevant figures of this style were the Van Eyck brothers, the master of Flémalle, Roger Van Deir Wayden, Dirck Bouts, Hugo Van Deir Goes, Memblin and El Bosco.
Famous Gothic Paintings and Their Authors
In Gothic painting, religious-themed works on wooden boards predominate. Source: pixabay.com
- Maestà, by the Italian painter Duccio. It is a tempera painting on panel made between 1308 and 1311. At present you can visit the Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana del Duomo in Siena, in Italy.
- The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin, by the Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck. It is an oil painting on panel made in 1435. Today it can be visited in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
- Lamentation over the dead Christ, by the Italian painter Giotto. It is a fresco made between 1305 and 1306. It can be visited in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy.
- Adoration of the Kings, by the Flemish painter El Bosco. It is an oil painting on panel, made in 1499 or later. At present it can be visited in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in the United States.
- The Descent from the Cross, by the Flemish painter Roger Van Deir Weyden. It is an oil painting on panel, made in 1435 or later. At present it can be visited in the Prado Museum in Madrid, in Spain.
- Maestà di Santa Trinità, by the Italian painter Cimabue. It is an altarpiece made in 1290 or later. Currently it can be visited in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
References:
- Gothic art, Encyclopaedia Britannica. Available at: britannica.com
- Marqués de Lozoya, Luis Felipe (1935). Gothic art in Spain. Editorial Labor. Spain.
- Gothic painting, History and Art. Available at: historiayarte.net
- Gothic painting, Museo del Prado. Available at: museodelprado.es
- Gothic painting, Wikipedia. Available at: wikipedia.org