BYZANTINE
TO GOTHIC
ART
12th Century - 16th Century
THE MIDDLE AGES We are here
lasted from approximately 500 to 1500 AD Gothic
1100-1600
Romanesque
1000-1600
Islamic
Influence
Byzantine
600 +
Art
Early
300-1400
Christian Art
260 – 525
TECHNOLOGY
AND
ARCHITECTURE.
• The invention of the
mechanical clock.
• Improvements in architecture
• Development of pointed
arches, stained-glass
windows, flying
buttresses, ribbed vaults, and
spires.
POINTED
ARCHES
• Roman arches required wider
bases and strong exterior
buttresses
• The pointed arch required
less material, could be taller,
and were able to handle
more weight
• This allowed for more space
in the church
RIBBED
VAULTS
• Based on the technical
advantages of the pointed arch
it was also brought into the
interior of the structure
• This resulted in the ribbed
ceilings that you see here.
• The ribbed vaults are essentially
two overlapping semicircular
arches crisscrossing the room
THE FLYING
BUTTRESS
• Provided support to the
Outerwall and the weight of
the roof.
• The result was more available
wall space for the addition of
stained glass windows.
• This meant buildings could
be taller without very thick
walls with no windows.
GOTHIC
GARGOYLES
• Often connected to the
buttress were rain gutters and
rain spouts carved from stone.
• The purpose was to take water
away from the sides of the
building preventing erosion.
• Gargoyles are said to protect
what they guard, such as a
church, from any evil or
harmful spirits.
STAINED
GLASS
• Stained glass replaces the
mosaics and frescoes of the
byzantine period
• Devoted to bringing in light and
to illuminate images of biblical
stories and figures
• Glass is stained by the addition
of metals not pigments joined
together by lead or iron
THE ROSE
WINDOW
• The rose window or circular
window is often found in
cathedrals
• This is a combination of
stone and glass to create
them and are often
dedicated to depicting Christ
as the center of all things