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Gothic Painting
The word Gothic comes from the
word "Goth,". The Goths were fifth-century Teutonic invaders who were
looked upon as vicious barbarians.
The Gothic style of
painting started in the
12th century.
Early Gothic art was
characterized by
Christian symbolism. The
Virgin Mary and Christ
changed from the
Byzantine iconic form to
a more forgiving and
approachable figure. The
paintings
were darkly mystical,
infused with an ethereal
emotional intensity.
Above all Gothic painters were
storytellers, narrating
both Biblical and
secular stories and
legends.
Altarpieces,
portraits and sculptures
were meticulously
executed, with the
concern for perfection
typical of the Gothic
tradition.
Europe was trying to put
the memory of the "dark
ages" behind it and move
on to a more enlightened
era. Barbarians no
longer ran rough shod,
putting entire villages
to the torch and
slaughtering the local
peasants. Without
the constant fear of
invasion, art and
architecture found
fertile ground to grow.
Gothic painters were not
simply anonymous lowly
craftsmen, but well
respected professionals.
They were held in high
esteem and often
interacted with clergy
and wealthy patrons. The
Gothic style is a
mystical, narrative
style of painting.
In Gothic Era,
people concentrated
mainly on the church,
God, and a heavenly
reward. Life in Medieval
Europe was primitive and
far more difficult than
that of Imperial Rome.
Christianity
provided an ethical
element lacking in previous cultures.
In a society of
almost complete
illiteracy, constant
outbreaks of plague,
smallpox, leprosy, and
the ever present threat
of starvation, the
beauty of art and
architecture was a true
sanctuary. All
aspects of society was
dominated by a single,
rigid,
restrictive religion.
People who did not
conform were accused of
sorcery or thought to be
possessed by the devil
and often burned at the
stake for "their own
good". The average
peasant was overcome
with devotion and
wonderment upon entering
the local church and
seeing a magnificent
altarpiece or statue.
The mysticism
of the Gothic period
imparts a sense of
uniqueness and wonder to
art. Painters from this
time period had a taste
for the supernatural and
their use of symbols are
mysterious hints and
glances into the shadowy
religious world that lay
behind the grinding
reality of the times. The style is
distinct and clearly
different from the heavy
Renaissance art
produced in in later
generation.
Major Gothic Painters
Hieronymus Bosch
Matthias
Grünewald
Albrecht
Dürer
Lucas
Cranach
Hans Holbein
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