Gothic style appeared in France in the XII century. It arose on the basis of the Romanesque style, which used the principle of clarity and transparency, the desire for constructive openness. Buildings and houses in Gothic are becoming openwork, the principle of uniformity of forms is applied here, and in order to achieve diversity, they used a large repetition of elements, different in proportions, but similar in type. Such elements created the feeling of lace openwork.
Gothic style in the interior
The interior in the Gothic style is characterized by large windows, all kinds of lighting effects, multi-color stained glass windows and the emphasized verticality of all structural elements. The traits inherent in this style are aspiration upward, irrationalism, lightness, mysticism and expressiveness. Gothic ornamentation and the use of stained-glass windows in a range of colors and shades traditional for Gothic give the interior a specific stylistic orientation. At the same time, stained-glass windows can be used not only in windows, but also on blind walls. A tiled stove or a luxuriously decorated fireplace will look great as a complementing interior element in the Gothic style. An ornament in the Gothic style is basically all kinds of elements of the plant world, usually in the form of maple leaves and grapes and the geometric shape of the arch.
The color scheme in which the ornament is maintained
Gothic style can be described as dark and cold, even bleak. It is characterized by ruby, purple, red, yellow, green, blue and blue-black colors, as well as clove-pink tones and silver, golden threads. Such shades give the interior in the Gothic style mystery and gloom. If we talk about materials characteristic of Gothic, these are different types of colored wood - walnut, oak, spruce, European cedar, larch, juniper. In addition, woodcarving, ceramics, stone and bones, metal and glass products that adorn the Gothic ornament or enamel painting are inherent in this style.
Gothic style furniture
Gothic at its core is simple not only in colors, but also in furniture. As a rule, in the interior there are all kinds of whatnots, screens, large bookcases with carvings repeating the Gothic ornament on the windows in the form of arcades, tall double cabinets, chests with cast iron rivets and sideboards with high legs.
Features of the ornament in the Gothic style
Since its inception, the Gothic ornament has been distinguished by its symbolism and diversity. And now the transformation of Byzantine and antique motifs continues to be used here, but at the same time, new, more modern themes appear. Weave curvilinear geometric forms are replaced by rectilinear. In addition to widespread ornamental geometric constructions and creating the shape of spherical triangles and quadrangles and a lancet arch, plant forms of local nature are widely used, characterizing the specifics of ornamentation of that era - leaves of roses, clover, ivy, oak, grapes and so on. A special place in the architecture of Gothic is occupied by a relief Gothic ornament made on stone.
Sculptural Ornamentation
Gothic architecture as an art developed along with sculpture. In sculptural ornamentation, stylized motifs of palmettes and acanthus are used less often, giving way to other forms of the plant world. Plant motifs of the early Gothic period from buds of shoots in the ornament of the XIII century. turn into blooming foliage and lush bouquets of flowers and fruits in the XIV century.
Gothic ornamental motifs.
Elements of Gothic architecture were traditionally decorated with images of human heads, centaurs, individual episodes from the Bible in the form of figures, historical characters, rose and grape leaves. For example, we can cite the architecture of Notre Dame Cathedral, in which the gargoyles depicted grotesque winged monsters. Gothic ornament in furniture was often used in the form of thin plexuses, reminiscent of rib ribs in combination with a leafy pattern. At the end of the XV century. The ornament of "linen folds" was widespread. In addition, the sculptural stone frieze made of wood in the form of tightly woven, twisted leaves and branches is also reproduced in the furniture.
