Customer Reviews

Believing and Seeing: The Art of Gothic Cathedrals

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This is an impressive text which covers many of the philosophical concepts surrounding the emergence and implementation of what we now refer to as "gothic" in 13th - 15th century Europe. The book distinguishes is itself from many other books on gothic in that it is not simply a discussion on gothic architectural components, building procedures, and so on, but rather takes a more holistic approach towards the subject, examining in detail the issues inherent in the "gothic" form, particularly in how the form was executed in medieval France and England.

This is a new edition to the library of gothic oriented publications, and is a welcome one at that. Although translated from the original French, the translator, Mary Whittall, has again shown herself as a magnificent translator who has the ability to transmit original meaning in nuance in an exacting, yet smooth reading, manner. That's a good thing, because the content itself in this book is a richly described and heavily nuanced look at the gothic movement, and any less a translation would have done the original work an injustice. Too, the translation of this important new work on gothic makes the content available to an entire world of English speakers.

The book is not a photographic tour of gothic cathedrals. For that, try the excellent volume by the German photographer Schultz, Great Cathedrals). Instead, this is a rich text of complex thought covering the gothic movement, with a few black and white photos used simply to illustrate basic concepts. The book starts with a detailed description of basic concepts and terms, and then moves into the stylistic components of gothic and their communication of thought through symbolism and stylistic mechanisms. As one moves farther into the volume, the content develops into a more esoteric discussion of forms and styles within the typical gothic structure, culminating with a closing sequence dealing with the "transmission of forms and types." The writing is both detailed and interesting, and easily lends itself both to the scholarly and the lay reader.

An easy recommend for any person interested in gothic, Recht's work will be recognized as a significant addition to the library of gothic resources. Five stars.