Gothicisms

The word “Gothic” is intrinsically associated with the exceptional artistic period of the medieval cathedral builders. From its birth in Île-de-France and Picardy in the 12th century until today, Gothic, and later neo-Gothic, art has led to the creation of a multitude of exceptional artistic forms, whose expressive force has traversed the centuries. Its beauty, variety and imposing nature are a source of wonder, as are its motifs, humanist elegance, fantastical evocations and the way in which it accompanies incredible technical prowess in construction. Encompassing all the arts, from architecture to sculpture, stained-glass windows and even illuminated manuscripts, the Gothic art of the Middle Ages offers each of us a different facet depending on our sensibilities.

What do we mean today by “Gothic”? At its origins, it is considered to differ from Roman art through its humanist and harmonious aspects, which developed out of French and European research, in particular the scholarly traditions of the monks and artists in Cluny, Saint-Denis and the Meuse Valley. As such, from the 1200s, one single European language began to spread, fed by the intellectual and artistic power of the capital city of the kings of France, before a new trend, even more monumental, was established at the court of King Louis IX, future Saint Louis, later expanding and driving European artistic creation.

The creativity and skilled crafts that accompanied the art of cathedrals were also adopted by artists working for monarchs and powerful people of the time. Gothic art came to define the era. Varied and independent centres began to appear. Alongside the Gothic architecture of great cathedrals and the conquest of height, a naturalism in the representation of people and plants was born from the encounter between French tradition and sculptors from Northern Europe. In addition, artistic research coming out of Italy and Avignon around 1400 led to international exchanges of Gothic art, whose flexibility and virtuosity charmed courts throughout Europe.

Through masterpieces made of stone, marble and alabaster, as well as precious materials such as ivory and illuminated parchments, we can identify the characteristics from which neo-Gothic art and the collective imagination of the 20th and 21st centuries later drew their definitions of Gothic art.

An explosion of shapes and decorative diversity marked the 15th century and then the early 16th century, a movement that for some years now has been recognised as “Renaissance Gothic”. Its collection of imagined notions, particularly in the domain of Germanic and Brabançon art, was favourable for the creation of a bestiary and gargoyles, which remain profoundly anchored in the Western imagination, not to mention the script, with its straight lines, ascenders, descenders and crests, and whose immediately recognisable elegance is found in books and charters, as well as inscriptions engraved in stone.

How many of us know that the word “Gothic” emerged after the movement it refers to? The word first appeared in the 15th and 16th centuries as part of the Italian Renaissance and was used (though with a surprisingly derogatory tone) to designate the rupture caused by the return to an Antique style after several centuries of flamboyance. However, its use continued in the arts, both in the late Gothic period, known as Renaissance Gothic, and in its coexistence with the birth of classicism.

A dark, almost black-and-white aesthetic soon came to be associated with Gothic ruins in England. Gradually, from the 18th century, and particularly in the 19th century, Gothic art was not only an art of colour but also took on an affiliation with black. The Gothic style was once again celebrated for its inventiveness and was studied by historians and artists who tapped into it as a model and resource. The author Victor Hugo and architect Viollet-le-Duc contributed to the revaluation of cathedrals, many of which (such as Notre-Dame in Paris) were undergoing major restoration works at the time. The 19th century in particular was that of the Gothic Revival and the appreciation of Gothic architecture as expressed by historian John Ruskin. From England to France and Germany, but also in North America, or even occasionally in Asia, artists from all disciplines, including the industrial arts, began to turn towards the “neo-Gothic”.

As this occurred, and especially in the 20th century, the themes and motifs of the Gothic style were picked up and even appropriated by ideological and political movements. Modernist artists, in literature, plastic arts and film, also drew on it for avant-garde inspiration. In contemporary times, the word “Goth” has come to be associated with the counterculture and with punk and metal music. Fantasy, video games, fashion or even contemporary art – especially Digital Gothic and Gothic Futurism – have demonstrated the importance of a continually reinvented collective imagination, right up until today. For artists, the Middle Ages are now, more than ever, a contemporary art.

Scenography: A Voyage through the Gothic Realm

The aim of the exhibition scenography is for visitors to “experience the Gothic realm”.

Beginning with a nod to Notre-Dame in Paris and its rose window, the exhibition visit takes the shape of a cathedral floor-plan, with its nave and side aisles. Architecture, luminosity, colours: throughout the various sections, it evokes the codes of Gothic styles and how they have evolved over time.

A series of Gothic arches punctuates the spaces in rows until reaching a transition point, just like the cathedral’s choir. A succession of galleries gradually develops into a black-and-white aesthetic, resonating with the movement’s duality and rich diversity.

Period Rooms and Gothic Worlds

Cross-chronological spaces throughout the exhibition visit offer forays into specific topics. They invite visitors to explore the prolific worlds of Gothic scripts, music and dance, as well as colours, including black and white, that still feed our collective imagination today.

Period rooms offer visitors the opportunity to discover two interiors, one after the other, demonstrating the heritage and vitality of Gothic style. The first is an exceptionally well-preserved entire neo-Gothic office, acquired by the Musées de Strasbourg. The second is a contemporary Gothic room-salon, with its bookshelf, music and artworks. It was recreated with the help of Christine and Thérèse, two participants in the Goth subculture who are involved in the organisation of Goth cultural events in the Hauts-de-France and Belgium.