Catalan Gothic: Difference between revisions

The Catalan Gothic is an artistic style, with particular characteristics in the field of architecture, which occurred in the Crown of Aragon between the 13th and 15th, ie the end of Gothic Europe, which gets its name , and at the beginning of the Renaissance. The name "Catalan Gothic" is bounded especially to Barcelona and its area of influence (former Comarca of Barcelona), which hosts its own characteristics.

Despite its name, the Catalan Gothic differs of the Gothics from other parts of Europe. In architecture, for example, does not seek excessive height, not highlights in its flying buttresses and yes for its very sober decoration.

Historical context

Side facade of the church of the monastery of Pedralbes.

The style began because of the wealth generated by the expansion of the Crown of Aragon, first to the Languedoc and then across the Mediterranean to Sicily, the Kingdom of Naplesand the Duchy of Athens. The society of the time demand a renewal of the old Romanesque buildings and new public buildings to new institutions and services. Reaches its climax in the 15th century, although the Catholic Monarchs has united the Crowns of Castile and Aragon to the detriment of the second, which was denied initially trade with America if it was through the port of Seville.

Artistic context

It speaks of "Gothic style" and "Gothic city" in relation to the time frame. But not to be confused with the Gothic French, Spanish, German or another, as though it has similar traits in that at the time were the latest available technologies (arch, rose window, struts), are many the differences.

Thus the Catalan Gothic not looking for a great height, but tends to match the dimensions of width and height, use covered almost flat against the towering slopes so characteristic of central and northern Europe, so it does not have large gaps because the Mediterranean light is much stronger than the rest of Europe, or with vast buttresses for its naves are almost equal in height, no decorated its pillars with figurative motifs and not notable for the intricacy of its vaults.

The main features of Catalan Gothic, compared with the international Gothic, are:

Vaults of the central and lateral side of Santa Maria de Manresa.

Catalan gothic	International gothic
Unitary spaces	Compartmentalized spaces
Compact and smooth exterior forms	Exterior forms to varying depths
Large smooth surfaces where the bodies of the structure just are marked with moldings	Lack of smooth surfaces
Use of wooden decks on Diaphragm arches	Little use of this technique
Horizontality	Verticality
Finished towers in flat roofs	Pinnacles and needles
Independent bell tower, or to the crossing or to the apses	Pair of bell towers in the western façade
Great formal purity	Decorativism and structural upheaval
Almost elimination of transepts	Prominent transepts
Buttresses	Flying buttresses
Chapels between the buttresses	Exterior buttresses
Roofs	Rooftops
Predominantly full of gaps	Predominance of gaps filled
Little importance of stained glasses	Big importance of stained glasses
Equalization height of the three naves	Big difference in height between naves
Pleasure for the only naves	Little use of the only nave
Great separation between pillars	Little separation between pillars
Use of the arch over the ogive	Almost exclusive use of the ogive
Octagonal plan for a items (pillars, towers, domes, etc.)	Little use of the octagonal plan

In sculpture and painting the peculiarities of Catalan Gothic are definitely not as marked and fully inscribed in the international sphere, either in Italian style or Flemish style. Among the painters must cite Ferrer Bassa, Pere Serra, Lluís Borrassà, Bernat Martorell, Lluís Dalmau and Jaume Huguet.

Typology

Church

The temples tend to unify space, which is achieved through two methods: either with slender and thin columns enough apart to not interrupt the view of any of the naves, when these are three, or constructing with a single nave of much span. The towers, usually one or two, stand out as smooth polygonal prisms (6 sides, 8 sides), and there are no transepts as such, something different are the churches of Templar base, which use plants in Greek cross.

The abutments creates two effects, in addition to its role in bracing the walls. On the drawing distinguish the chapels, so that the elevations of the building are continuous and visually smooth by outside, at the height of a person, also when these appear on the main facade, create a rectangle that frames the doorway, and sometimes a rose window.

Palace

View of a typical courtyard with stairs in the palace Requesens, located in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona.

The palace, larger front surface than other dwellings, is typical of 15th century bourgeois spaces like the Carrer de Montcada in Barcelona. Is characterized by having a courtyard which is accessed through a portal, which is center of the building and contains the main staircase, open or half closed.

In the downstairs are the facilities belonging to business owners, with the office in semiplant, if any. The first floor or noble is reserved for housing, whose main hall, richly decorated, it attaches to the facade, sometimes occupying it entirely. The following story contains service rooms and secondary units. Some palaces have small towers from watching over the city rooftops.

Examples

Examples of this art are the Cathedral of Barcelona, ​​begun in 1298 or the Cathedral of Girona, started in 1312, which has three naves to crossing where it continues as a single width. It had technical difficulties that the Crown of Aragon sent a board of architects to address them. Other good examples are:

• Santa María del Mar, in Barcelona.
• Palau Reial Major, in Barcelona.
• Monastery of Pedralbes, in Barcelona.

External links

• Page of the former parish priest of Santa Maria del Mar with extensive information on this masterpiece of Catalan Gothic