An introduction to tracery a characteristic of gothic architcture

Gothic Art and Architecture I.

Characteristics of Gothic Architecture Gothic art evolved out of Romanesque art and lasted from the midth century up to the late 16th century in some areas of Germany.

Architecture was the main art form of the Gothic, and the main structural characteristics of Gothic architectural design stemmed from the efforts of medieval masons to solve the problems associated with supporting heavy masonry ceiling vaults arched roofs over wide spans.

The problem arose because the stonework of the traditional arched roof exerted a tremendous downward and outward pressure against the walls upon which it rested, which often caused a collapse. Up to and including the preceding period of Romanesque architecture c.

But Gothic designers solved this problem around with several brilliant innovations. Pointed Arch First and most important, they developed a ribbed vault, made up of intersecting barrel vaults, whose stone ribs supported a vaulted ceiling of thin stone panels.

To put it simply, until Gothic builders revolutionized building design, the weight of the roof vault fell entirely on the supporting walls. As a result, the heavier the roof or the higher the roof, the more downward and outward pressure on the walls and the thicker they had to be to stay upright.

An Introduction to the Study of Gothic Architecture

A Romanesque cathedral, for instance, had massively thick continuous walls which took up huge amounts of space and created small, dim interiors. In contrast, Gothic architects channelled the weight of the roof along the ribs of the ceiling, across the walls to a flying buttress a semi-archand then down vertical supports piers to the ground.

In effect, the roof no longer depended on the walls for support. As a result the walls of a Gothic cathedral could be built a lot higher which made the building even more awesomethey could be a lot thinner which created more interior space ; they could contain more windows which led to brighter interiors and, where stained glass art was used, more Biblical art for the congregation.

All this led to the emergence of a completely new type of cathedral interior, whose tall, thin walls gave the impression of soaring verticality, enhanced by multi-coloured light flooding through huge expanses of stained glass. Its exterior was more complex than before, with lines of vertical piers connected to the upper walls by flying buttresses, and large rose windows.

As the style evolved, decorative art tended to supercede structural matters. Thus decorative stonework known as tracery was added, along with a rich assortment of other decorative features, including lofty porticos, pinnacles and spires.

Master Masons Medieval masons were highly skilled craftsmen and their trade was most frequently used in the building of castles, churches and cathedrals. A Master Mason was someone who also had charge over carpenters, glaziers and other works and work teams.

Indeed, all skilled and unskilled workers on a building site were under the supervision of the Master Mason.

History and Development of Gothic Architecture Three phases of Gothic architectural design can be distinguished: Early, High, and Late Gothic. Early Gothic The fusion of all the above mentioned structural elements into a coherent style of architecture occurred first in the Ile-de-France the region around Pariswhose prosperous inhabitants had sufficient resources to build the great cathedrals that now epitomize Gothic architecture.

Cathedrals with similar vaulting and windows soon appeared, beginning with Notre-Dame de Paris c.

Gothic architecture, an introduction – Smarthistory	It marks a definitive shift from the earlier 'dumpy' Romanesque churches to lighter, taller cathedrals - the changing socio-religious climate wrought structural innovations that revolutionized ecclesiastical architecture. The name 'Gothic' is retrospective; Renaissance builders scoffed at the whimsical construction devoid of symmetry, and used the term as a derisive reference to the barbarous Germanic tribes that pillaged Europe in the third and fourth centuries - the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths.
Flying Buttress	Essay by Valerie Spanswick. East end of Salisbury Cathedral.
	Net vault of Prague Cathedral Flamboyant rib vaults with ornamental ribs at Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral begun Fan-shaped rib vaults at Peterborough Cathedral Both the pointed arch and the rib vault had been used in romanesque architecturebut Gothic builders refined them and used them to much greater effect. They made the structures lighter and stronger, and thus allowed the great heights and expanses of stained glass found in Gothic cathedrals.
	Gothic Art and Architecture I.

A series of four distinct horizontal levels soon evolved: The pattern of columns and arches used to support and frame these different elevations contributed to the geometry and harmony of the interior.In later Gothic architecture, tracery became more elaborate, and it was often found on the tympanum, a wall section above a series of smaller arches and below a large arch that covered them all.

Introduction to Gothic Art. Gothic Art. Gothic art developed after the Romanesque, The pointed arch lent itself to elaborate intersecting shapes, which developed complex Gothic tracery within window spaces and formed the structural support of the large windows that are characteristic of the style.

"An Introduction to Gothic Tracery (With a Router) - Popular Woodworking Magazine" "Gothic tracery: the circle and its subdivisions" Gothic Architecture Characteristics On Excellent Gothic Arch Window Architecture Designs Lrg.

Lates Information About Home Design Ideas. Becky. Gothic architecture was originally referred to as Opus Francigenum, or “French Work,” until the 16th century when it became known as “Gothic.” The rich history of Gothic architecture is divided into three distinct phases: Early, High, and Late.

The new understanding of architecture and design led to more fantastic examples of vaulting and ornamentation, and the Early Gothic or Lancet style (from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries) developed into the Decorated or Rayonnant Gothic (roughly fourteenth century).

The windows, tracery, carvings, and ribs make up a dizzying display of decoration that one encounters in a Gothic church.

In late Gothic buildings, almost every surface is decorated. Although such a building as a whole is ordered and coherent, the profusion of shapes and patterns can make a sense of order difficult to discern at first glance.