ABSTRACT
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 sculpture as well as stained glass, Chartres Cathedral provides an introduction to the early Gothic style. In 50 more years the Gothic style had spread from the Île-de-France throughout western Europe, ranging from Scotland and Scandinavia to Spain and Italy. The cathedrals of Laon, Paris, and Poitiers, begun in the decade after mid-century, represent dramatically different approaches to Gothic structure and aesthetics. Early Gothic builders used plate tracery, in which simple lancet or circular shapes were pierced in the wall. Both Romanesque art and Gothic art still make a powerful impact on the mind and the emotions of the viewer.
