Gothic sculpture

Gothic sculpture was a sculpture style that flourished in Europe during the Middle Ages, from about mid-12th century to the 16th century,^{[Note 1]} evolving from Romanesque sculpture and dissolving into Renaissance sculpture and Mannerism.^[1][2]

When the classical values started to be appreciated again in the Renaissance, the sculpture from the previous centuries was seen as shapeless and rough and was given the name of Gothic, since it was believed to come from the culture of the Goths, people considered barbaric and supposedly responsible for the disappearance of the Roman Empire.^[1][2]

But the people from the Gothic period never gave themselves that name neither they considered themselves barbarians. On the contrary, in its emergence Gothic art was seen as innovative and was called opus modernum ("modern work"), being sculpture one of its most important and sophisticated expressions. However, the negative appreciation lasted until mid-19th century when a revivalist movement appeared, called neo-Gothic, that recovered its values. In actuality, it is known that Gothic art has nothing to do with the Goths—but the denomination remained, consecrated by the use.^[1][2]

Gothic sculpture was born closely linked to architecture—as a result of the decoration of the great cathedrals and other religious buildings—but it eventually gained independence and started to be worked as autonomous art. It started in Paris, France, and had its first important expression in the reform of the Basilica of Saint-Denis between 1137 and 1144. Its first phase developed an austere, sleek style, with elongated proportions and a general hieratical aspect, wishing to convey an impression of spirituality, quite far from the actual anatomy of a body.^[3][1]

From the 13th century, the style began to evolve toward greater naturalism and realism, with the progressive absorption of classical influences and a greater observation of nature. Changes in religious doctrine, which led to a rapprochement of God toward man and a softening in his previously inaccessible and inflexible character, also contributed to influencing the evolution of preferred forms and themes. By the 14th century, the Gothic style had spread far beyond the borders of France, important regional schools were formed, and by the 15th century it dominated most of Europe, then began a decline that followed different patterns in different regions. Gothic sculpture in its late stages continued to be widely used in architectural decoration, but by this time, the sculptors had already experimented with the most diverse materials and explored the most varied uses for reliefs and statues, forming a collection of extraordinary richness and variety.^[3][1]

The history of Gothic sculpture still has many uncertainties and grey areas, and its study is far from complete. At various times in history, there was mass destruction of medieval monuments and works of art (for example, in the iconoclastic issue throughout the Reformation and during the French Revolution) and so the determination of the chronology, genealogy and geographical distribution of the style presents many gaps impossible to be filled. Added to this is the fact that when the Gothic style was finally reappraised in the second half of the 19th century, many inadequate restorations were made to the surviving monuments for lack of deeper knowledge. Even in the face of so many difficulties, the legacy of Gothic sculpture is still vast and lives on in buildings, collections, museums, widely circulated textbooks and other forms.^[4]

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