History of Western Art - Essay Example

athedrals, the traditional basilican form which has a central nave flanked with by a twin tower in its exterior an an entrance adored with lavish structures and stained glass window. This era of architecture developed in four stages: early gothic, lancet gothic, rayonnant gothic and late gothic. In early gothic, the use of pointed vaults like in the Notre Dame of Paris developed. Pointed arches evident in the Bourges Cathedral developed during the Lancet period while in the rayonnant era, structures where usually made of glass with a thin skeletal masonry frame.

An example is the Saint Chapelle of Paris. The late gothic style is also known as the flamboyant style because of its form of suggesting flames in their structure. An example of this is the Church of Saint Maclou in France. Gothic architecture also spread out of France to other European countries like Italy, Germany and England. The Milan Cathedral in Italy is a perfect example of this style where it is of a classical basis characterized of a vast span and simple arches. In Germany, gothic structures are evident in the Cologne Cathedral which is built on bricks rather than stone.

Their style is greatly influenced by France’s gothic structures. The structures in England were subdivided into three stages that is the early English, the decorated style and the perpendicular style. The English style developed in the 12th to the 13th century and is influenced by the Norman architecture. An example of this is the Lincoln Cathedral and the Salisbury Cathedral. The decorated style flourished during the 13th to the 14th century while the perpendicular style developed in the 14th to the 16th century was predominated with vertical lines.

A perfect sample is the cathedral located in Gloucester and the King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. Synthesizing, gothic architecture has three distinctive characteristics that are structures with pointed arches, flying buttresses and ribbed vaults that help support the ceiling