In Gothic Art

In Gothic Art: Glorious Visions, Michael Camille begins by demonstrating the innovations that came with early Gothic art through the Laon Cathedral. Through the cathedral we can see a shift from the thick and heavy architecture that characterized the Romanesque period, to the airy and bright features that came to define Gothic architecture. More specifically, the main distinctions we can see are the use of pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and tall stained glass windows, which contributed to creating the effect of lightness and space that characterizes Gothic architecture. Flying buttresses and elaborate sculptures were also distinct features, which contributed to erecting the image of Heavenly Jerusalem, by making the cathedrals look like castles in the air. Chapter 2 then moves on to talk about how space and time were inextricably linked, asserting that Gothic art didn't obliterate Romanesque elements of the past, but incorporated them. In Ch. 3, Camille moves on to reliquaries and explains how staged simulacrums became the focus of veneration, as people sought more intimate modes of devotional experience. Ch. 4 then talks about how Gothic art is expressive rather than realist, and also touches upon the continuity of the Romanesque tradition of grotesquerie to depict the bestial side of human nature. Lastly, Ch. 5 moves on to talk about the superficiality of self-representation as characters were often presented in terms of social stereotypes.

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