Universe of Stone: Chartres Cathedral and the Invention of the Gothic AKA Universe of Stone: A Biography of Chartres Cathedral

Книга Universe of Stone: A Biography of Chartres Cathedral Universe of Stone: A Biography of Chartres CathedralКниги Строительство Автор: Philip Ball Год издания: 2008 Формат: pdf Издат.:HarperCollins Страниц: 355 Размер: 8 ISBN: 0061694576 Язык: Английский0 (голосов: 0) Оценка:Chartres Cathedral, south of Paris, is revered as one of the most beautiful and profound works of art in the Western canon. But what did it mean to those who constructed it in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries? And why, during this time, did Europeans begin to build churches in a new style, at such immense height and with such glorious play of light, in the soaring manner we now call Gothic? “[A] lively biography of Chartres Cathedral... Ball's account of its construction reveals fascinating details.” —The New YorkerChartres Cathedral, south of Paris, is revered as one of the most beautiful and profound works of art in the Western canon. But what did it mean to those who constructed it in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries—and why was it built at such immense height and with such glorious play of light, in the soaring manner we now call Gothic?In this work, Aventis Prize winner and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist Philip Ball makes sense of the visual and emotional power of Chartres and brilliantly explores how its construction—and the creation of other Gothic cathedrals—represented a profound and dramatic shift in the way medieval thinkers perceived their relationship with their world.Beautifully illustrated, filled with astonishing insight, Universe of Stone embeds the magnificent cathedral in the culture of the twelfth century—its schools of philosophy and science, its trades and technologies, its politics and religious debates—enabling us to view this ancient architectural marvel with fresh eyes.“A terrific book... a lucid, thoughtful tour de force.” —The Christian Science Monitor“Engrossing... a resplendent account of the mysteries of Chartres Cathedral.” —Sunday Times“There is no better introduction to the subject.” —The Wall Street Journal

Chartres Cathedral, south of Paris, is revered as one of the most beautiful and profound works of art in the Western canon. But what did it mean to those who constructed it in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries-and why was it built at such immense height and with such glorious play of light, in the soaring manner we now call Gothic?

In this eminently fascinating work, author Philip Ball makes sense of the visual and emotional power of Chartres and brilliantly explores how its construction-and the creation of other Gothic cathedrals-represented a profound and dramatic shift in the way medieval thinkers perceived their relationship with their world. Beautifully illustrated and written, filled with astonishing insight, Universe of Stone embeds the magnificent cathedral in the culture of the twelfth century-its schools of philosophy and science, its trades and technologies, its politics and religious debates-enabling us to view this ancient architectural marvel with fresh eyes.

Front Cover 1 Front Flap 2 Title Page 4 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 10 1. The Isle Rises: Chartres in the Kingdom of France 17 2. A Change of Style: The Invention of Gothic 32 3. Heaven on Earth: What is a Cathedral? 61 4. Seek Not to Know High Things: Faith and Reason in the Middle Ages 78 5. Building by Numbers: Science and Geometry at the School of Chartres 109 6. Masters of Works: The Men Who Planned the Cathedrals 145 7. Hammer and Stone: Medieval Masons 179 8. Underneath the Arches: House of Forces 218 9. Holy Radiance: The Metaphysics of Light 258 10. Hard Labour: How the Cathedral Rose 281 11. A New Beginning: The First Renaissance 306 Notes 317 Bibliography 331 Index 338 About the Author 348 Other Books by Philip Ball 349 Credits 350 Copyright 351 About the Publisher 352 Back Flap 354 Back Cover 355 REVELATION "Universe of Stone shows that the Gothic cathedrals encode a far-reaching shift in the way medieval thinkers perceived their relationship with their world. For the first time, they began to believe in an orderly, rational world that could be investigated and understood. This change marked the beginning of Western science and also the start of a long and, indeed, unfinished struggle to reconcile faith and reason."--Résumé