Gothic art

Gothic architecture
Is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture.
Originating in 12th century France and lasting into the 16th century, Gothic architecture was known during the period as "the French Style," (Opus Francigenum), with the term Gothic first appearing duringthe latter part of the Renaissance. Its characteristic features include the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the flying buttress.
Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe. It is also the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls, universities and to a less prominent extent, private dwellings.
Aseries of Gothic revivals began in mid-18th century England, spread through 19th-century Europe and continued, largely for ecclesiastical and university structures, into the 20th century.
Gothic architecture: The term originated as a pejorative description. It came to be used as early as the 1530s by Giorgio Vasari to describe culture that was considered rude and barbaric.[1] At the time inwhich Vasari was writing, Italy had experienced a century of building in the Classical architectural vocabulary revived in the Renaissance and seen as the finite evidence of a new Golden Age of learning and refinement.
In English 17th-century usage, "Goth" was an equivalent of "vandal", a savage despoiler with a Germanic heritage and so came to be applied to the architectural styles of northernEurope from before the revival of classical types of architecture.
The term 'Gothic' as applied to pointed styles of ecclesiastical architecture was used at first contemptuously, and in derision, by those who were ambitious to imitate and revive the Grecian orders of architecture, after the revival of classical literature.
Wherever Gothic architecture is found, it is subject to local influences, andfrequently the influence of itinerant stonemasons and artisans, carrying ideas between cities and sometimes between countries. Certain characteristics are typical of particular regions and often override the style itself, appearing in buildings hundreds of years apart.

Where gothic work can be found?
France: Interior of Coutances Cathedral
England: The longitudinal emphasis in the nave ofWells is typically English
Germany and the Holy Roman Empire: The spacious interior of Regensburg Cathedral
Spain and Portugal: Barcelona Cathedral has a wide nave with the clerestory windows nestled under the vault
Italy: The clear proportions of Florence Cathedral are defined by dark stone against the
color-washed plastered brick

A further regional influence was the availability ofmaterials. In France, limestone was readily available in several grades, the very fine white limestone of Caen being favored for sculptural decoration. England had coarse limestone and red sandstone as well as dark green marble which were often used for architectural features.
In Northern Germany, Netherlands, northern Poland, Scandinavia, and the Baltic countries local building stone was unavailablebut there was a strong tradition of building in brick. The resultant style, Brick Gothic, in Germany and Scandinavia and is associated with the Hanseatic League.
In Italy, stone was used for fortifications, but brick was preferred for other buildings. Because of the extensive and varied deposits of marble, many buildings were faced in marble, or were left with undecorated façade so that this mightbe achieved at a later date.
The availability of timber also influenced the style of architecture. It is thought that the magnificent hammer-beam roofs of England were devised as a direct response to the lack of long straight seasoned timber by the end of the Medieval period, when forests had been decimated not only for the construction of vast roofs but also for ship building
Characteristics...