Gothic Architecture and Design

Gothic Architecture, Sculpture, Painting - Rolf Toman

(Pages 118 - 123)

Gothic Architecture in England: The History of England in the High and Late Middle Ages
England was one of the first countries to adopt the Gothic architecture of France during the second half of the 12th century, a major factor in the new styles reception being the close historical links between the two countries. The history of medieval England was deeply marked by the centuries-old conflict with France. This rivalry is clearly reflected in the development of Gothic architecture: right from the beginning the English chose to follow an independent path.
English Gothic architecture can be divided into three main periods, which do not correspond exactly to the Early, High and Late Gothic familiar to those who live in Continental Europe. The terminology of English Gothic was established in 1817 in the book An Attempt to Discriminate the Architectural Styles of English Architecture by Thomas Rickman, and has proved valuable even today. Each of the three periods begins with an adoption of a French Gothic feature which is then transformed by being made to conform to local architectural traditions. Early English describes the first period, from roughly 1170 to 1240. To this early stage belongs the choir of Canterbury Cathedral, which was started by a French architect from Sens and used elements from Sens, St.-Denis, and other buildings of French Gothic. The second period, from roughly 1240 to 1330, is known as the Decorated period. This begins with the restoration of Westminster Abbey, which mostly derives from the cathedral of Reims. Finally the Perpendicular period marks the last and longest period of English Gothic, roughly 1330 to 1530. Although it has its roots in the French Rayonnant style, Perpendicular was the English style least influenced by French Gothic.

A more contemporary version of gothic design is the 2015 Big Brother logo. When I first saw this on tv, it reminded me of gothic horror - the dark colours and the unknown. It reminds me of the deep, dark woods and it leaves you guessing what creatures might be in there. Its almost like living in a house full of your fears. 

Image from: http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article4767579.ece/alternates/s2197/Celebrity-Big-Brother-eye-for-the-2015-series-revealed.jpg

Image from: https://celebritaindotnet.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/cbb-2015-diary-room-chair.jpg?w=1024