Gothic Architecture: Decoration and Sculpture Gothic architecture is widely known for its elaborate decoration and almost fanciful details built into cathedrals. Architects were moving from an era where large block Romanesque buildings were evolving towards Gothic, with an extreme level of detail and decoration. For the first time, architects and builders played with many new ideas that pushed the constraints of this new building structure. They created a design in which there is much more to look at than just massive walls and small, simple windows. Some were created strategically, like the gargoyle. However, the grotesques were created purely on the basis of a certain artistic freedom and had no real purpose, unlike the gargoyles which are actually waterspouts that drain water from the roof. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Starting with gargoyles and decorative grotesques, gargoyles were created to serve a very practical purpose. As these buildings became more and more ornate, it was not possible to have a regular drainage system on the roof. They decided they wanted a waterspout that would follow the decorative pattern of the rest of the structure. Besides being practical, gargoyles and their grotesque pals were spiritually important. The illiterate individuals who pass by the cathedral, who live in a world of superstition and belief, might have thought that they had to attend this church, because otherwise they would find themselves being chased by these flying creatures that fly freely at full speed . night. Another decorative aspect of Gothic architecture are the stories and sculptures carved into the facade and doors of a cathedral. The front facade is practically a library with all the knowledge and advice represented in pictures so that even people who cannot read can admire the facade. For example, Notre Dame de Paris has a very eccentric west facade. Going from left to right, Notre-Dame has three main doors, called portals, the left being the “Portal of the Virgin, the middle one being the “Portal of the last judgment” and the right the “Portal of Saint-Pierre” . Anne. » Starting with the most important, the central portal, representing “The Last Judgment”, its construction was the last to be completed. The lower lintel of this portal shows the dead emerging from their graves, then on the upper lintel, the archangel Michael weighing their souls. Depending on the life they lived, they would either be sent to heaven or damned to hell, as shown in this scene above and around the middle door. The left portal tells the story of the Virgin. On the middle part of the lintel, it represents Mary on her deathbed surrounded by Jesus and the twelve apostles, with angels about to take her to heaven. The upper part of the lintel shows Mary in heaven crowned queen as she shares a throne with Jesus. Finally the third door, the Sainte-Anne portal. This portal depicts many scenes from the birth of Jesus, such as the Annunciation, Nativity and Epiphany. When it came to the construction of these sculptures, some began to create more realistic figures, which began to become proportionately more accurate. In other cases, the characters remain godlike and unrealistic due to their elongated bodies and unrealistic shape, making them appear to be floating. The Gothic architecture art movement was really important and was represented..