Gothic architecture and the beauty of stained glass By Joshua Hurd

This is a painting of the interior of St. Bavo by Pieter Jansz. Though a painting it shows the beauty and artistry that I want to point out in Gothic architecture. The clean lines, pointed archways and massively high ceilings. One can only be in awe of how structural element were covered up with artistic design.

A painting of St. Germain Chapel and the surrounding area by Claude Monet showcases the exterior appearance of Gothic architecture. I want to point out the sheer massiveness of the chapel it is surely astounding. I wanted to point out another artistic feature. The large window in the front of the chapel lets in massive amounts of light, which was believed to be a direct link to god.

This painting of the Monastery of Altacomba by Giovanni Migliara is a perfect visual example of Gothic architecture. Rib Vaulting is the backbone of Gothic architecture and is depicted very well here. It starts with four pointed archways which are then connected by ribs and the covered with a roofing or web. which created a large open floor space uninterrupted by columns.

This photograph of the Tour of St. Jacques token by Gustave Le Gray is all that is left of the former church. Napoleon III had a large amount of buildings tour down for various reasons during his reign, this survived due to large public protests.This has a spot in my gallery because it shows Rib vaulting at its best.

This piece depicting St. Michael Weighing Souls By Antonio da Pandino and Museo Lazaro Galdiano is a great stained glass piece. Breaking the image down into small rectangular sections they create an amazing piece of art. Notice the attention to detail how no lines look out of place or of from section to section. also the emphasis of St. Michael by making him the largest figure in the piece.

Adoration of the Shepherds is an artwork by Aldo Carpi. Thought this piece is a later example of stained glass it still excellent example of the art form. I want to point out how Carpi brings emphasis to the infant in the piece. He shows this by focusing every characters face (even down to the goat in the bottom right) on the infant showing his importance to the piece.

The Nativity by Guillaume de Marcillat is a stained glass piece done in 1516. This is a more traditional piece compared to the last piece. using the same kind of rectangular shapes to create the seen as the St. Michael piece did. Marcillat goes a little further using other shapes to create the look of columns

Adoration of the Magi is a stained glass piece with an unknown artist. This piece is an interesting piece to me. using organic shapes that creates a colleague kind of feel. Even though it has a scattered appearance it still is able to clearly convey its messages.

Entitled Spring this piece by John La Farge. is another newer example of stained glass. I wanted to include this piece in the art gallery for two reasons. The first being that a large majority of people associate stained glass with religion (which is true but not always the case). The second reason is the the brilliant use of color. the colors are vibrant and they blend and balance flawlessly.