SAINTANDREWSCHOOL

Gothic Art             5th Century to 16th Century A.D. 

Gothic art was a style of Medieval art that developed in Northern France out of Romanesque art in 12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, never quite surpassing the more classical styles in Italy. Rooted in religious devotion, e.g.: distinctive arched design of its churches, its stained glass, and its illuminated manuscripts. 

 

ARTIST:

In our study of the Gothic period we will not be concentrating so much on a particular artist. You will be looking more closely at the architecture from this period, especially focusing on the great cathedrals and their stained glass windows. To make these massive buildings, the builders obviously needed a lot of building material. Most of the cathedrals made back then were made up of stone, mainly limestone. The citizens had to build a huge rock quarry in order to meet the needs of the builders.The material that was used to bind the stones together is called mortar. This is a material which was helped to bind the bricks and other building materials together. It was sort of like a very primitive form of cement.Some people might not think that wood is an intricate part of the cathedral. However, wood is the building material which holds up the roofs, flying buttresses, as well as, the doors. Furthermore, wood was used to help make some of the vaults. Another feature is the stained glass window. One of the most interesting and spectacular areas of the cathedrals, it can dazzle people and shine gracefully on the ground below. Inside the cathedral, you can see many things. From arches, to statues, and, probably the most spectacular spectacles, stained glass windows. They can be located almost anywhere in the cathedral if there is room. The main way stained glass windows are made is to first heat sand in a furnace until it melts. Once the sand is liquified the glass can be dyed by adding color to it before it hardens or you can wait until it has dried and paint it. The process to make a stained glass window can take almost a month or more, depending on the size of the window. A rose window is a circular window, with mid traceries generally radiating from the center, and filled with stained glasses. The rose window is one of the most beautiful and characteristic features of medieval architecture, especially of the French Gothic, in which it achieved its most perfect development.

 

ARTIST WORK:

Cathedrals:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT:

Your assignment will involve creating your own cathedral drawing by studying the cathedrals above. Notice their difference and more importantly their similarities. Your rose stained glass window will be made by coloring a cd and adhereing it to your cathedral.

 

MATERIALS:

2 sheets of 9"x12" drawing paper, 1 sheet of grey 12" x18" drawing paper, pencil, old cd, sharpie markers of different colors, and glue.

 

INSTRUCTIONS/ PROCEDURES:

1. Study the catherals above and write down what you see as similarities and differences.

2. Take one sheet of poster board and cut a piece so the it measures 22" x 22". Mix some grey tempera paint and coat the entire sheet.

3. On 9" x 12"  drawing paper design a rough draft of your own cathedral remembering the similarities you noticed in the pictures above. Remember to leave room for your rose window ( it will be the size of your cd).

3. Use the other sheet of 9"x12" paper and create a different cathedral. Remeber to leave room for your rose window.

4. Utilizing one of your rough drafts or combining ideas from both, draw your final cathedral on 22" x 22" tag board Be careful it is very dificult to erase pencil from a painted surface. Use your cd to draw the circle for your rose window but do not draw any design inside the window.

5. Trace over your cathedral with a black sharpie marker.

6. Look over the different rose widows below. Design your own rose window on your cd. Make lines with black sharpie and color in using different colored sharpies. Make sure you have a good idea of your design, you can not erase the sharpie from the cd.

EXAMPLE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Color your rose window using sharpie markers and adhere your rose window to your cathedral. Add shading and details to your work. 

8. Write a 250 word description of your work, why did you choose this era, what was most difficult about completing the project, what was most enjoyable about working on the project, in what ways does your project fit into the era you chose. Type your paper in "Arial font 14", Give your work a title,

 

 

EXAMPLE: