The document discusses the origins and evolution of Gothic architecture, art, literature and music from the 12th century in Europe as well as the modern Gothic subculture. It provides details on key features of Gothic cathedrals like pointed arches, rib vaults and flying buttresses. Differences between French and English Gothic styles are outlined. The emergence of the Gothic subculture in the late 1970s tied to Gothic rock music is also summarized along with examples of Gothic influence in areas like photography, fashion and Indian architecture.

1. GOTHIC
ARCHITECTURE
AND
SUBCULTURE

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the first thing that comes in our mind when we hear the word
goth is a subculture that associated to everything “dark” like
haunted houses or people who wear dark makeup and look scary
and rebellious nevertheless the original goth style was actually
developed to bring sunshine into people’s lives and especially into
their churches.
The Goths were also known as the Barbaric tribe who held power
in many countries in Europe during the collapse of the Roman
Empire and the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire from
the fifth to the eighth century.
The gothic style emerged from the Romanesque style in Europe
from 1140-1400.During the Romanesque period, the churches
became a status and began to attract a lot of money as religion
became a crucial part of everyone’s life.Catholicism was an
integral part of the European life which led to the creation of
Gothic style.It was first defined as an architectural style and
architectural motifs appear throughout gothic painting, sculpture
and decorative arts.the centuries between 1000 to 1400 is the
time during which a number of gothic styled cathedrals were
built in Europe.the style was first developed in France and the
earliest buildings were from Île-de-France also known as the
“Parisian Region”. During the Gothic period which lasted roughly
from about 11th to the 16th century, buildings became larger
and higher.Windows and doors increased in size and height for
immense light to enter the churches and cathedrals. (1)
What
Is Goth?

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the most important part and of gothic style of
architecture is the pointed arch which was taken
from the Islamic architecture.It is a key element
which differentiates the gothic style from the others.
Along with the pointed arch, there were other key
features such as the rib vault which was stone ribs
that supported thin stone panels, flying buttresses,
and stained glass windows. Flying buttresses were
developed in France to provide support between the
chapels on the exterior of the buildings.
There were certain number of influences which led
to the rise of this architecture style such as -
geographical - by the end of the 12th century there
was a new territorial distribution of the map of
Europe.The people who were under the dominion
of Rome formed into separate nations known as
goths. Germany was the center of the Holy Roman
Empire.
• Geological- Geological conditions vary a lot
in Europe which affects the architectural style in the
countries.The French Cathedrals had high vaults,
Italy had white and colored marbles. France and
England have course grained stones. all these factors
determine the character of architecture in these
countries.
• Climatic- the climatic conditions in Europe
vary a lot from north to south and east to west.
Climate has been a key feature in influencing
the architectural style in Europe since the very
beginning. Thus the northern Gothic churches
are surrounded by vertical features such as flying
buttresses and pinnacles to cast the shadows of the
slanting rays of the sun.Heavy snowfalls made it
necessary for the cathedrals to have steep slopes
which adds to the gothic feature.
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

4. Gothic Cathedrals in Europe vary a lot due to regional variations. The
originator of the gothic style was France and England was the first
country in Europe to Adopt this style.
The main difference between French and English goth architecture was
the spatial architectural difference and difference between their height
and length. The French cathedrals are usually very tall, the focus is
mainly on the height. e.g. - Notre-Dame, the vaults rise 115 feet off the
ground, Beauvais Cathedral is the tallest gothic cathedral at 160 feet. By
contrast, English cathedrals focus more on their width e.g. Salisbury in
England 473 feet in length.
Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey were the two most
important buildings where royal coronations took place.
The explanation behind this trademark contrast between the French
and the English Gothic styles is that the majority of the English church
buildings were religious communities (minsters), as were within the
monastic grounds. For a similar reason there is generally a house, and
frequently other monastic structures, connected to the English church.
Usually there was a section house for gatherings, and in the church
appropriate choir screens to isolate the piece of the building planned
essentially for the priests from those areas in which the people regularly
worshiped.
ENGLISH GOTH VS
FRENCH GOTH ARCHITECTURE
• Social & Economic- there was a rapid growth in the
development of commercial activities in the European countries
which led to the creation of many cathedrals and churches and an
overall development in architecture.
• Religious - During the Romanesque period the churches
became a status and began to attract a lot of money as religion became
a crucial part of everyone’s life.Catholicism was an integral part of the
European life which led to the creation of Gothic style. (2)

5. The Goth subculture began in England in 1979. the emergence of
the gothic art takes us back to the 11th century where the gothic style
started.It started in Europe from about 1140-1400 and was first defined
in architecture.Gothic art is a style of medieval art that developed in
Northern France in the late 11th century and soon spread to all of
Western Europe.
Architectural Motifs appear throughout gothic paints, sculpture and art.
The original gothic style was actually developed to bring sunshine into
people’s lives and especially into the churches which are very contacting
to the goth subculture we are aware of today.The gothic subculture
has nothing common with the gothic tribes but it imitates gothic art.
Gothic art is a style of medieval art that developed in Northern France
in the late 11th century and soon spread to all of Western Europe. It is
subculture where a group of people who feel comfortable within each
other’s company. They are Identified mainly by black colour or dark
colour clothing.
GOTH
SUBCULTURE
This tends to provide for the English chapels a less sensational, maybe less
open character than the French houses of God. Canterbury appears to be
practically private, even cozy, in contrast with the magnificence of Chartres
or of Notre Dame. (3)

6. It was developed from the gothic rock scene post-punk genre.
the goth subculture is all about dark elements such as dyed hair, black
clothes, piercings and tattoos, dark fingernails, dark eyeliner etc.
the subculture associated with music, aesthetics,fashion, and literature.
There is a major stereotype about the goths that they are evil, saddest or
Satanists. However, there is nothing as such. Goths are people just like
everyone else and have emotions and feelings just like everyone else.
There is no specific thing that defines a person to be in this subculture
except obviously the dark colours.
People who are in the goth subculture can have different musical tastes,
follow different religions, have different occupations, hobbies and
fashion sense. (4)
Gothic attire was born out of Punk, Victorian and Renaissance
dressing styles and blended with the contemporary apparel styles.
Generally, it gives the impression of breaking the traditional feeling of
social association . Utilization of dim hues, particularly dark is normal
for Gothic sub-culture and fashion. European men and women are a
part of this sub-culture, colour their hair dark, wear dark nail polish
and lipstick and wear dull or dark garments to make a Gothic sub-
cultural fashion statement. Many designers and labels including Kanye
West-YEEZY , Alexander McQueen ,Issey Miyake , Rei Kawakubo of
Comme Des Garçons , Givenchy , yohji yamamoto and many more
have a prominent use of goth element in their designs. (5)
Gothic Influence on Fashion

7. Alexander McQueen -
Like the best-known pixie stories, there was a dull and a dark side to
his life, which led to him committing suicide in 2010. Gothicism was
absolutely implanted in his innovative vision of design and fashion
similarly as the Gothic impacted the stories of the German Brothers
Grimm, who together gathered and distributed people stories in the
Nineteenth Century, among them, was Cinderella, Rapunzel, the Frog
Prince, Snow White and Hansel and Gretel..McQueen has shown
his obsession with gothic over the years in his designs.” He also uses
the “aesthetic of disgust”.He has included haunted elements and
showcases “the past as Gothic trauma” in his shows. (6)

8. Goth photography-
goth photography has turned into
an exclusive term.Goth photography
can be very hard to explain as it is
drenched in pop and modern cultures
and appearing to always rethink itself.
However gothic pictures are generally
recognized in a split second. When you
see an extremely dark photograph of a
dim graveyard, you can in a flash mark
it “goth”.The soul of goth photography
is the mood.The main thing to choose
when shooting gothic pictures is the
idea you need to portray or feelings
that u need to convey. Many famous
photographers like Mario Testino, Nick
Knight , Steven Klien and many others
have used this photography in their
work. (7)
Gothic Literature-
In literature as well, the desire for medievalism was
always indulged, and particularly its relationship
with the unusual, the peculiar and the colorful. It
is set in medieval circumstances in an abnormal,
bleak and frequented palace in Italy. ‘Gothic
horror’ novel The Castle of Otranto, in Britain by
Horace Walpole unashamedly makes fantastical
and innovative utilization of the supernatural,
which was to end up noticeably a component
of Gothic books. This was in itself a response
to the worry late seventeenth to mid-eighteenth
century composing on the significance of reason.
The castle of Otranto is filled with dim vaults,
underground sections, trap-entryways, sinkholes –
and phantoms. (8)

9. Goth music-
Gothic rock rose up out of post-punk
in the late 1970s.
The genre was characterized as a
different development from post-punk
because of its dark music joined by
intense and sentimental lyrics. Gothic
rock expanded to a more extensive
subculture that included clubs, fashion,
and art in the 1980s. (9)
GOTHIC INFLUENCE ON
INDIAN ARCHITECTURE-
Rajabai Clock Tower
Rajabai Clock Tower is one of the most beautiful
and a big tourist attraction of South Mumbai.Two
architectural styles are seen on this tower namely the
Venetian and Gothic.
(d’source of gallery and design)
St. Stephen’s Church, Delhi
The Church is ordinary Gothic style design, the
Church is impacted by the Romanesque architecture
Apart from walls and roofs the Church has a special
element which is the stained glass rose window.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station
The station has been planned by Frederick
William Stevens as per the idea of Victorian Italian
Gothic Revival architecture and intended to be a
comparative restoration of Indian Goth design. The
station was built in 1887 in the Bori Bunder territory
of Mumbai to honour the Golden Jubilee of Queen
Victoria. (10)

10. Referencing-
(1)- When Gothic Was Born,About the Season ,BBC , http://www.bbc.
co.uk/programmes/articles/1DHZFB726CfZ29KDh4sDvnC/about-
the-season
(2)-Gothic architecture ,Encyclopedia Britannica ,https://www.britanni-
ca.com/art/Gothic-architecture
(3) English vs French ,Salisbury.art.virginia.edu , http://salisbury.art.
virginia.edu/uva10312602956714
(4)What is the Goth Subculture? | Study.com,Study.com ,http://study.
com/academy/lesson/what-is-the-goth-subculture.htm
(5) The Influence Of Gothic Culture On Fashion - Fashion Africa 254
Fashion Africa 254 ,http://fa254.com/uncategorized/the-influence-of-
gothic-culture-on-fashion/
(6) Lindsay Baker, Alexander McQueen: Fashion’s dark fairytale, Bbc.
com ,http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150313-fashions-dark-fairy-
tale
(7) Goth Photography: An Overview of Gothic Photography & What
It Takes to Become a Goth Photographer,Bright Hub ,http://www.
brighthub.com/multimedia/photography/articles/71119.aspx
(8)Gothic style and influence on literature from Crossref-it.info:
Crossref-it.info , http://crossref-it.info/articles/324/gothic-and-the-medi-
eval-revival
(9) Gothic music? | Gothic Literature | LibraryThing: ,Librarything.com,
https://www.librarything.com/topic/123430
(10) View B.,Indo-Gothic,On Art and Aesthetics ,https://onartandaes-
thetics.com/2016/04/23/indo-gothic