A History of European Art

Lecture 4: Gothic Art in France

Jamb ¿ gures from central door, c. 1150, Chartres Cathedral,

Chartres, France.

Moses and Abraham and Isaac from the left jamb of the central portal of the

North Transept, after 1194, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France.

Notre Dame de la Belle Verriere (Our Lady of the Beautiful Wall of Glass),

1134–94, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France.

Claude Monet:

Rouen Cathedral, 1894, oil on canvas, 42 x 28 ¾” (107 x 73 cm), Musée

d’Orsay, Paris, France.

Rouargue:

Rouen Cathedral (Notre Dame), 19th century, engraving, Bibliothèque

des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France.

Kergall and Minne-Seve, Romanesque and Gothic France.

Stoddard, Art and Architecture in Medieval France.

1. What architectural inventions does the Gothic style employ that give it a
   distinctive appearance?


2. How can you account for different styles or lack of symmetry in a
   single structure?

Suggested Reading

Questions to Consider