Gothic Art Sculpture - Characteristics

The gothic sculpture It will undergo a remarkable evolution over the three centuries that this artistic manifestation has lasted, which, as we well know, had its origin in France. We will see how there is a first stage of transition, from Romanesque to Gothic, around the end of the 12th century, where the hieratic typical of the Romanesque and the nascent naturalism of the Gothic that continued in the thirteenth century, although with a greater improvement.

Already in the fourteenth century we could say that sculpture will present a greater dynamism, giving way to the fifteenth century with the beginning of Renaissance art. Next, in this lesson from a TEACHER, we offer you a brief summary about the Gothic art sculpture features.

We started this lesson on Gothic art sculpture features detailing the most general attributes of said artistic expression. They are as follows:

• The first thing to be clear about based on Gothic sculpture and that the difference from Romanesque sculpture is that it is partly going to
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  to become independent from this subordination of the framework architectural, appearing new sculptural typologies.
• The materials that are going to be used for its realization will generally be stone, carved through incisions with trepan, chisel... but We will also see a use of wood, which in most cases will appear polychrome and to a lesser extent materials such as ivory or metal.
• They will be naturalistic sculptures, although a bit idealized. It is true that the artists sought to humanize the figures, individualize them through different resources, expressing emotions, gestures, stylizing the figures, showing a certain concern for the volumetry of the bodies and clothing... which in the Romanesque did not we saw.
• The thematic as in Romanesque sculpture it will be being fundamentally religious and although the same iconographic sources will continue to be given as the apocryphal Gospels and the Bible in the gothic new ones appear like the life of the saints, the Marian themes and some other theme profane.
• Regarding the typologies, new types were developed, on the one hand, we have the monumental sculpture linked to the doorways of churches and cathedrals, altarpieces, choir stalls, sepulcher, and on the other hand free-standing or round-shaped sculpture which in the Gothic is when it reaches its greatest development.

In this other lesson from a TEACHER we discover a summary of gothic art in Spain.

As we have already mentioned previously, there are several typologies within gothic sculptureThat is why we will delve deeper into it below. Within the monumental sculpture, we will see how this is going to occur mainly on covers and capitals.

On the covers

They will be located mainly in the eardrum, which may or may not be divided into horizontal stripes, the theme of the Final judgment or Pantocrator as in the Romanesque, but something more human when details such as sores on the hands appear, being surrounded by smaller figures of angels and saints carrying the instruments of passion... we will also see on some eardrums scenes from the life of the virgin, like the Coronation, Asunción.

On the jambs there will be attached figures of prophets, saints... as in the archivolts where they will often appear framed in canopies, with regard to the mullion generally the Virgin or some sanctity linked to the church. As an example cite the cover of the Sarmental of the cathedral of Burgos.

On the capitals

We will see how the figurative decoration will be replaced by strips of plant motifs or continuous decoration.

Funeral sculpture

It will reach its maximum development in the Gothic and they can be attached to the wall or free-standing, representing them the figure of the deceased, lying well, reading, praying... Sometimes this could be flanked by a procession as in the Phillipe Pot's grave.

In this other lesson you will discover the differences between Gothic and Romanesque art.

Within this typology there are two main themes:

• The crucified; that appears represented as God - man, of a great naturalism with signs of suffering and of three nails.
• Madonna and Child; she will appear as a young, smiling and sweet virgin mother lovingly holding the Child Jesus in her arms, who sometimes he appears offering her a flower, giving her a sense of dialogue between the two, as occurs in the Virgen Blanca of the Cathedral of Toledo.

We can only mention a round sculpture of a profane theme, belonging to the first half of the 13th century and it is known as Bamberg Horseman found inside the Bamberg Cathedral in Bavaria (Germany).