[gothic-l] off topic/on topic

[M. Carver]

> on 8/10/01 9:13 AM, keth at online.no at keth at online.no wrote:
> 
> Hi Nikolai,
> 
>> Question... who/when first used the term "Gothic" or "Gothique" in
>> reference to the architecture of Northern Italy/France during the
>> middle ages?
> 
> I have the years 1440 and 1615 noted down.
> So I guess 1440 is the oldest usage of the French adjective
> "gothique" that is on record. Its meaning seems to have
> indicated that something had something to do with the historical
> Goths of antiquity. But I suppose it came to signify something
> that belonged to the period after the Romans, i.e. "the gothic
> epoch". In vulgar Latin the corresponding adjective was "gothicus".
> So I guess the French adjective derives from the vulgar Latin
> adjective. But the year 1440 pertains to the French word.
> So it probably was used in vulgar Latin prior to this date.
> 
> Well, since the period that started after the Roman period
> (=antiquity) was called the Middle Ages, the word "gothique"
> became a kind of synonym with "medieval".
> 
> The date 1615 then refers to a usage that pertained to any kind
> of "art" that derived from the medieval period. Thus it now
> became an adjective that was mainly used to describe a certain
> style, the medieval or gothic style. This usage held sway until
> the 19th century.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Well, that is what I was able to find out by using the French
> dictionary. Perhaps not entirely correct(?) since I had to
> expand somewhat upon the more or less cryptic remarks there.
> But I do not have access to the big (multivolume) dictionary,
> where I think you'd find more copious notes, quoting the titles
> of the some of the medieavl works where this word was used,
> as well as quoting peices of text, so that you can see the context.
> A little bit like the OED. If any one has more copious info, I
> should certainly be interested in it.
> 
> Best regards
> Keth

Keth et al.:


In the section entitled "The Origins of Gothic Style" in _Medieval Art_
(Marilyn Stokstad,1988) there are some interesting clues (I paraphrase):

Hugh Capet, Count of Paris, became King of France in 987 and was hailed as
"King of the Aquitainians, of the Bretons, of the Danes [Normans], and of
the Goths, of the Spaniards and Gascons, and of the Gauls." This was the
beginning of the 340-year-reign of the Capetian dynasty, whose prestige and
wealth grew steadily. The arts reflect the situation as regional
(romanesque) styles gave way to the Gothic style of Ile-de-France. The
Capetian architecture around France wove together many strands of Romanesque
art to create the new Gothic Style, reflecting the many feudal counties the
nation was formed of. In its own day, Gothic architecture was called _opus
francigenum_ (french work). It dominated the arts from 1150 to 1450.

And I quote:

"Gothic art has nothing to do with the barbarian Goths. Italian writers in
the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries called the art of the Middle Ages the
_maniera dei Goti,_ for they considered all art from the fall of Rome to
their own day as crude and barbaric, or 'Gothic.' In the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, French, German and English scholars, looking through
romantic and nationalistic eyes, saw in Gothic art an anti-Classical style
expressive of the native genius of the people of the north and turned the
adjective from a pejorative to one of high praise."


Hope that helps.
Matþaius


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