Assignment 1: Write a review on an art history documentary

‘The Age of Gothic’ is an art history documentary on Gothic architecture. The video begins by introducing the viewer to Chartres Cathedral in France as the main representative of Gothic architecture. Michael Woods, the host, elaborates on the socio-economic changes that took place in the mid-12^th century; the population boom and the development of organized education. These became the catalysts for the development in Gothic architecture that follows.

       The video then brings us to the Church of St Denis where Abbott Suger started the Gothic architectural movement. William Clark, an art historian, points out that the key feature in Gothic architecture is the immense floating space of its interior. This is highlighted with wide panning shots of the columns and vaults of the church and beautiful divine coloured lights from the stained glass windows on the walls. Dramatic music that accompanied these slow moving images heightens the magic of Gothic interiors and enabled the viewer to experience Gothic church as a place ‘suspended between earth and heaven’ as mentioned by Abbott Suger.

       The viewer is brought back to Chartres and is introduced to the sculptures around the portals and their symbolisms; and is led into the interior to see the tall columns and vault of the High Gothic period. The flying buttresses, a key architecture element of Gothic architecture, is highlighted and contrasted with Romanesque architecture with a diagrammatic comparison. This is followed by a running commentary by Anne Prache, a French medievalist, on the beauty of stained glass windows and the stories they tell.

       I like this video because it takes full advantage of moving pictures to allow the viewer to better appreciate the greatness of Gothic architecture. The interiors are shown with the camera zooming in and panning over the dominant vertical lines in the cathedral to allow the viewer to see the massiveness of the vertical space. Appropriate music is used to amplify the beauty of the visuals.

       However, there is a lack of systematic arrangement in the presentation of Gothic architecture. The documentary jumps from external sculptures to interior architectural elements to external flying buttresses and then back to the interior stained glass decoration. This leads to a disconcerting viewing as there is a mishmash of exterior and interior; architectural elements and decorations.

       The inclusion of Canterbury Cathedral in England early in the video felt out of place and does not follow the development of typical of Gothic Architecture. Canterbury Cathedral would have better been mentioned near the end as a regional variant. It would also be better to mention briefly about the existence of Gothic architecture in other European countries such as Germany and Italy to show the widespread of its influence, as an uninformed viewer might conclude that Gothic architecture only exist in France and England.

       On the whole, this is a good video as an introduction to Gothic architecture and would whet the appetite of the viewer to visit the cathedrals and experience their wonders first hand.