Czech Republic Gotika 2008 Proof

RAZITKO_POSTOVNE_ZDARMA_NENI

The price of this gold medal includes a burgundy red gift box along with a certificate from the Czech Mint.

Gothic

Gothic is an artistic style that is a continuation of the Romanesque style. It begins to manifest itself in the second half of the 12th century and continues through the High Middle Ages for about three centuries. In the Czech lands, Gothic came and receded a little later. In Germany and central Europe it lasted until the early 16th century, when the following Renaissance had already established itself in Italy and France. The latter did not evolve from the Gothic, but rather tried to deny it and relied on the ancient heritage for its development.

The first Gothic cathedrals were built in France: Notre Dame in Paris, Notre Dame in Reims, Chartres Cathedral (the most decorated with sculptures, e.g. in the portal are placed the saints of Chartres Cathedral - 6 and 6 apostles).

Something became characteristic of the Gothic style of every European country at first sight. In Germany, for example, buildings were made of good quality bricks and were not plastered. In England, the ceilings were decorated with 'net vaulting', very complex, but often only ornamental. The Italian Gothic (the Doge's Palace in Venice) is particularly special because of the ornamentation on the façade, reminiscent of Middle Eastern elements. Czech Gothic has reached an excellent world level, especially in the field of painting (partly also in sculpture) it is valued at the highest level.

The first sculptural manifestations were a mere complement to the architecture. Verticality - in the whole body and especially in the drapery - prevailed in the tendency of Gothic ideals. The statues did not stand freely in space, but seemed to be glued directly to the architecture. It became customary to carve statues of the apostles on the right and left side of the churches' facades at the portals (6 and 6). Over time, the statue made its way onto the altar and the wall.

The culminating expression of Gothic art was the depiction of the Virgin Mary. She was depicted either as a Madonna with the baby Jesus or later as a pieta - a grieving mother with the dead body of Christ, taken down from the cross, in her lap (from the Italian word pietas - pity). Statues and paintings with this theme related to two significant moments in the life of Jesus Christ, his birth and death. The figures depicted in Gothic sculpture and painting were also characteristically upward facing - tall and slender, slightly curved in an S-shape.

Their faces were characterised by a new feature. We find in them expressions of quite earthly human emotions, simple joy or great suffering. The representation of Jesus as an infant corresponds to the medieval understanding of the child as a small adult. Another typical subject was Christ on the cross (crucifix) and the apostles with their attributes.

The material was either stone or the statues were carved from lime wood, often by very skilled carvers. The statue was covered with fine linen that adhered and then polychromed (dyed). Gradually we observe a tendency towards realism, movement and an approach to all that was originally known in the art of the older European civilisations.

Many Gothic sculptures have transcended the ages and are now found in museums and galleries. Replicas have been made and stand in real places.