Gothic revival: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Also called Victorian Gothic. Architectural style which was prominent during the second half of the 19th century and was inspired by the forms and elements of medieval architecture. The style emerged approximately around 1730, although a definite starting point cannot be defined as medieval elements were still used for churches and university buildings, and lasted up to 1930. | |||
The early beginnings of the Gothic Revival can be dated back to the late 17th century, when buildings started to imitate Gothic forms. The survival of medieval structures only became a revival when architecture was connected with literary aspects; especially the evoking of feelings about the medieval past. At that time, Gothic elements were still used in English architecture in combination with other styles, like in the classical gatehouse at Hampton Court Palace created by William Kent (1723) where they were mixed with Rococo. | The early beginnings of the Gothic Revival can be dated back to the late 17th century, when buildings started to imitate Gothic forms. The survival of medieval structures only became a revival when architecture was connected with literary aspects; especially the evoking of feelings about the medieval past. At that time, Gothic elements were still used in English architecture in combination with other styles, like in the classical gatehouse at Hampton Court Palace created by William Kent (1723) where they were mixed with Rococo. | ||
Revision as of 14:55, 29 April 2013
Also called Victorian Gothic. Architectural style which was prominent during the second half of the 19th century and was inspired by the forms and elements of medieval architecture. The style emerged approximately around 1730, although a definite starting point cannot be defined as medieval elements were still used for churches and university buildings, and lasted up to 1930. The early beginnings of the Gothic Revival can be dated back to the late 17th century, when buildings started to imitate Gothic forms. The survival of medieval structures only became a revival when architecture was connected with literary aspects; especially the evoking of feelings about the medieval past. At that time, Gothic elements were still used in English architecture in combination with other styles, like in the classical gatehouse at Hampton Court Palace created by William Kent (1723) where they were mixed with Rococo.
The first time, Gothic elements were used to a larger extend was by Thomas Walpole, who can be regarded as one of the prime movers of Gothic architecture. As he redesigned his country house at Strawberry Hill (1747), he intended the building to reflect his taste for topography and history and aimed at creating a picturesque composition. In order to achieve his aim, he used a large range of medieval decorative elements and added two towers to the building in 1761 and 1776. This and other early examples of the Gothic style show, that the adopted shapes were used for decorative purposes only, especially for the picturesque and romantic, and not for structure and function. Up to the 1820s, the Gothic style became primarily used for church and collegiate buildings. This was about to change as it was chosen by Sir Charles Barry and A.W.Pugin for the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (The House of Parliament) between 1836 and 1865, after it was destroyed by a fire in 1834. In the following years, the style became the major mode in architecture not only because of its use in public buildings, but also because of its connection with contemporary philosophical ideas promoted, for example by John Ruskin in The Seven Lamps of Architecture in 1849 and The Stones of Venice in 1853. In these works, Ruskin stated that the morally superior way of life of the Middle Ages was shown by the quality and the design of medieval architecture and therefore demanded to return to the times conditions of work. To his mind, only materials which had been used in medieval times should also be used for Victorian Gothic buildings. Furthermore, there was a general interest in Gothic tales and romances created by the Romantic Revolution at that time, while on the other hand, architectural theorists tried to carry the liturgical significance of Gothic architecture over to their time.
In the middle of the 1850s, the Victorian Gothic hit its peak and was therefore called High Victorian Gothic. At that time, the design of a huge variety from domestic to official buildings, like railroad stations, churches or schools, have been following the example of gothic architecture. Examples for such buildings are Cardiff Castle, the Keble College Chapel and Exeter College Chapel in Oxford,Scarisbrick Hall, Lancashire and The Albert Memorial, London. The major elements of this style are “exuberant forms and decoration, turrets, polychrome brickwork, steeply pitched roofs,gables, pointed arches, bay windows, elaborate porches, medieval details such as decorative corbels and gargoyles, stained glass and patterned floor tiles”(http://www.buildinghistory.org/style/gothicrevival.shtml).
Towards the end of the decade, the style started to lose its influence but still remained until the beginning of the 20the century. The style ultimately disappeared when ideas about functionalism and new building materials, which allowed new forms, emerged.
Sources:
Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. (Ed.) The New Encyclopedia Britannica Volume 13. Chicago, 1994
"Gothic Revival." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 14 Jan. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/239789/Gothic-Revival>.
Manco, Jean. “Gothic Revival”. Researching Historic Buildings in the British Isles. Ed. Jean Manco 2007 http://www.buildinghistory.org/style/gothicrevival.shtml [14.1.2011]
Ross, David. “Gothic Revival Architecture”. Ed. Britain Express n.d. http://www.britainexpress.com/architecture/gothic-revival.htm [14.1.2011]