Gothic History The Gothic style began with the architecture of the 12th century, at the height of the Middle Ages, when Europe was putting the memory of the ``Dark Ages'' behind it and moving into a radiant new era of prosperity and confidence. At the same time, Christianity was entering a new and triumphant phase of its history, and so the age of chivalry was also the time of the building of the magnificent Gothic cathedrals, such as those in the northern French towns of Chartres, Reims and Amiens.

Gothic Painting In the realm of painting, the change to the new style became visible around a century after the first of these cathedrals rose. In contrast to the Romanesque and Byzantine styles, the most noticeable feature of the art of the Gothic period is its increased naturalism.

Gothic Era in Painting It spanned more than 200 years, starting in Italy and spreading to the rest of Europe. Towards the end of this period there were some artists in parts of the North who resisted Renaissance influences and kept to the Gothic tradition. As a result, the end of the Gothic timeline overlaps with both the Italian and the Northern Renaissance timelines.

Masters of Painting The Limbourgs' joint masterpiece, Les Très Riches Heures, is one of a genre of 15th- century illustrated prayer books known as ``book of hours'' Les Très Riches Heures The book contains a calendar, Each month is marked by an enchanting scene, usually showing appropriate seasonal activities.

Evolution of Gothic Art In the 15th century, the International Gothic style developed in two directions: both could be called revolutions. One was in the South, in Florence, and was the birth of the Italian Renaissance. The other tool place in the North, where painting went through an independent but equally radical transformation: this was the beginning of the Northern Renaissance movement.

The gothic painting was not very important because the depicted murals were covered with windows, which attracted the attention more. Gothic painting presents a religious temathic, with symbols of natural reality, and supernatural (golden colors, which light makes shine). Figures are plain and seem to have no gravity, so they do not appear to be real, they are only symbolic.

Its evolution has had many stages: Italian Gothic: it goes from 1250 to the beginnings of 15th century, receiving the names of "Duocento",and "Trecento". It tried to represent humanistic feelings, and started to give a sense of space in a two dimensional perspective Linear Gothic: is developed during the second half of the 13th century and the first half of 14th century in France, so it is also known as french-gothic.

Flemish Gothic: its original scene is created in Flandes and Netherlands during almost all 15 th century International Gothic: it is a mixture of lineal gothic and italic gothic styles. It could be found in France, Italy, England, Germany, Austria and Bohemia. it revived some of the historic ideas of middle ages, it expressed a rebellion against realism and it has a linear decorative style. It is is characterized by a growing interest in the representation of real environments and the possibilities of more vivid rhythms. The end of the Gothic timeline overlaps with both the Italian and the Northern Renaissance timelines

International Gothic Style

Illumination Illumination is a decoration of manuscripts and books with coloured, gilded pictures, decorated initials, and ornamental borders. Now is called Gothic stylings Part of this are the miniatures, which were always added after the text was finished these were tiny paintings or drawings In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries illuminations were often used to frame documents Drolleries were very common, they were human or animal figures that were often painted in the margins and borders of illuminations Blue, gold and silver were very used. One common feature of illuminations were Big capital letters

The Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry The Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (the Very Rich hours of the Duke of Berry) is the classic example of a medieval book of hours. This was a collection of the text for each liturgical hour of the day which often included other, supplementary, texts. Calendars, prayers, psalms and masses for certain holy days were commonly included.book of hours. Its most original and beautiful feature is the series of twelve full-page illustrations of the months full of exquisite ornamentation and beautifully observed naturalistic detail. The miniatures are remarkable, too, for their mastery in rendering space, and they occupy an important place in the development of the northern traditions of landscape and genre painting.

WHAT IS A BOOK OF HOURS? A prayer book used by laymen for private devotion, containing prayers or meditations appropriate to certain hours of the day, days of the week, months or seasons. They became so popular in the XV th century that the Book of Hours outnumbers all her categories of illuminated manuscripts; from the late XV th century there were also printed versions illustrated by woodcuts. The most famous Book of Hours and one of the most beautiful of all illuminated manuscripts is the Très Riches Heures of the Duke of Berry (Musée Condé, Chantilly).

WHO PAINTED THE TRES RICHES HEURES? The Tres Riches Heures was painted by the Limbourg brothers, Paul (Pol), Hermann and Jean (Jannequin). Very little is known about them; they are believed to have been born in the late 1370s or 1380s into an artistic family, their father being a wood sculptor and their uncle, Jean Malouel, being an artist. By 1408 they had entered the service of Jean, Duc de Berry, one of the most notable (and richest!) art lovers in France. They are known to have executed several other pieces of work apart from the Tres Riches Heures but most of these, with the major exception of the Tres Belles Heures, seem to have been lost. They hold privileged positions at his court, which moved with him around France from one magnificent residence to the next. In around February 1416 all three Limbourg brothers died before the age of thirty, apparently killed by an epidemic pest desease. The Limburgs illuminated two manuscripts for his celebrated library: the Belles Heures and the Très Riches Heures which was begun c and left unfinished at their deaths; it was completed by the French illuminator Jean Colombe about seventy years later

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