Editing Internet Texts/Gothic Architecture in France, England, and Italy
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Introduction
editThe aim of the project is to present the development and the character of Gothic architectural style as well as to examine regional differences between the Gothic architecture of France, England and Italy. The project focuses on European ecclesiastical architecture as it is cathedrals that the style was best realised in. The project opens with the section on the main Gothic characteristics. Each feature was briefly, but meaningfully described and illustrated with pictures and drawings. Some of the sections also include “Compare with” subsection, where the students are encouraged to not only compare the possible alternatives to a specific feature, but also trace the process of development of a feature. Such acknowledgement of progression is vital to the correct understanding of architecture. Even though the style was widely-spread in Europe, some regional differences can still be observed. The next three subpages focus on Gothic architecture in France, England and Italy. The subpage on French Gothic architecture is divided into three sections: Early Gothic, High Gothic and Late Gothic. Each of them follows more or less the same structure: a brief summary of the main feature illustrated with pictures, followed by an analysis of a chosen cathedral. The analysis is usually based on three aspects of a building: west façade, plan and interior. Next subpage is divided into the following sections: Early Gothic, Decorated Gothic and Perpendicular Gothic. It is structured in the same way as the subpage on French Gothic architecture. Since Gothic architecture in Italy was practically non-existent and there exist no universal features of Italian Gothic style, the next subpage is consists of brief analyses of four chosen Italian Gothic cathedrals: Basilica of San Francesco of Assisi, Siena Cathedral, Florence Cathedral and Milan Cathedral. They were carefully selected so as to best illustrate the multifaceted nature of Italian Gothic. In the last section, Wikiversity users have a chance to try their hand at analysing Gothic architecture. There are two tasks prepared for them. The first one asks them to identify architectural elements shown on pictures. The second one asks them to decide whether groups of selected cathedrals represent French, English or Italian Gothic architecture.