The Transition Period: The Cloisters Museum

Humans often separate the past into a certain range of time that share a characteristic. For instance, the years the ancient Greeks dominated the face of the western hemisphere is known simply as ancient Greece. The years from 1200s to the 1400s, is known as the Gothic period. The word gothic comes from the Latin word, “Gothicus” which means, “not classical”. The gothic period is often thought to be shadowed by the time period that followed right after, the Renaissance. However, I am inclined to believe that the artworks created during the transition period and the periods that followed the Gothic period, of which are displayed in The Cloisters Museum, have many elements that are continued from that of the Gothic period.

Gothic artists often

On the very bottom of the robe, there are string like pattern, the way it is carved, it makes the pattern look lifelike and moving as an actual piece of clothing would. The artist’s focus on the detail, similarly to the gothic artists, is also seen in the face of the sculpture. The figure’s face has many wrinkles under his eyes and around the mouth, giving him an older look. The great attention to detail of this sculpture gives it a similar feel with many other gothic artworks. While there were many variations of the gothic style, there was one style that was the most prevalent around Europe in the 14th century. The international Gothic style focuses on the smaller details such as small plants and background nature, while miniaturizing the buildings and such in the background. In addition to such elements, international Gothic style has other qualities such as placing characters within architectural structures, dressing noble people in bright colored clothes and vibrant jewelry. A great example of the International gothic style is the artwork, Annunciation and Visitation (“Gothic as a Period Style”). This artwork encompasses all of the elements of the International Gothic style very effectively. First

Although in the beginning of the gothic period, it was quite crude, nearing the end of the gothic period it became quite full of decorative parts. A great example of the late gothic architecture is the Gerhard of Cologne (“Gardner’s History of Art Through the Ages”). This cathedral is a great example of the gothic style. From the pinnacles to the flying buttresses, the cathedral holds most, if not all of the elements a Gothic building. Although the gothic period passed after the 1400s passed, many of the gothic forms in architecture stayed. For instance, the doorway6 in the Cloisters museum, was made sometime between 1520 and 1530, yet has many gothic parts (Cloisters). First off, the doorway has a pointed arch. Pointed arches are the most crucial part of gothic architecture. Secondly, the doorway has buttresses supporting the arch itself. Although it is not a flying buttress, it is common for doorways have other types of buttresses. The doorway also has decorations on top of the arches, which is common in gothic architecture. For instance, the arches of the cathedral have gargoyles and such decorating it