DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.67683#0475
FROM GOTHIC AGE TO SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 32.3
of the church. Many of the provinces of the lowlands had turned
Protestant. Spain, however, was strongly Catholic and Jesuiti-
cal. Hence she directed against these heretics the Spanish In-
quisition. Antwerp was the center of the struggle, and much
of the wealth and vigor of Flanders was spent in these wars. In
the seventeenth century, however, after the Peace of Westphalia,
a renewed vitality produced the last great school of Flemish art.
ARCHITECTURE
In studying Gothic architecture, we mentioned the town halls
of Flanders as one of the most important manifestations of secular
Gothic. Although the Flemish built fine cathedrals such as that
of Antwerp, still the most characteristic buildings of these
wealthy industrial cities were the town and cloth halls. The
simple vigor and dignity of the Ypres Cloth Hall (Pl. 12.8 c) is
characteristic of the sturdy traders who built it. It is a large
rectangular building with a steeply pitched roof; four small tur-
rets with spires rise at the corners, and a massive square tower
with turrets crowns the building. The small amount of decora-
tion is inconspicuous. The impressiveness of the hall is due to
the quiet balance of line and the harmonious massing of the
parts. We feel the unity of the tower and the body of the struc-
ture, and the importance of the four turrets, which repeat the
motif of the tower and also finish or frame the design as a whole.
The relatively large number of apertures contrasts happily with
the plain expanse of the great roof. The windows and the roof
remind us to what an extent climate may condition architecture.
To shed the rain and snow and to admit all possible light are
needs of buildings in northern countries; while the flat roof and
thick wall with few openings to keep out the sun and heat char-
acterize the buildings of the warm southern countries where there
is little rain.
The Ypres Cloth Hall with its restraint and quiet nobility has
become more slender, more elegant, and more ornate in the Brussels
Town Hall (Pl. 119 a). Here again is illustrated the development
that we noticed in studying the Gothic cathedral, a tendency
toward lightness, elegance, and decoration. We see this in the
tower and turrets, in the roof broken by frequent dormers, and
in the light and shade of the fagade made rich by the carvings
and niches the original statues of which were painted and gilded.
This decoration, however, is not carried to the point of overload-
ing. There is enough restraint to keep a clear impression of the
unity of design.
of the church. Many of the provinces of the lowlands had turned
Protestant. Spain, however, was strongly Catholic and Jesuiti-
cal. Hence she directed against these heretics the Spanish In-
quisition. Antwerp was the center of the struggle, and much
of the wealth and vigor of Flanders was spent in these wars. In
the seventeenth century, however, after the Peace of Westphalia,
a renewed vitality produced the last great school of Flemish art.
ARCHITECTURE
In studying Gothic architecture, we mentioned the town halls
of Flanders as one of the most important manifestations of secular
Gothic. Although the Flemish built fine cathedrals such as that
of Antwerp, still the most characteristic buildings of these
wealthy industrial cities were the town and cloth halls. The
simple vigor and dignity of the Ypres Cloth Hall (Pl. 12.8 c) is
characteristic of the sturdy traders who built it. It is a large
rectangular building with a steeply pitched roof; four small tur-
rets with spires rise at the corners, and a massive square tower
with turrets crowns the building. The small amount of decora-
tion is inconspicuous. The impressiveness of the hall is due to
the quiet balance of line and the harmonious massing of the
parts. We feel the unity of the tower and the body of the struc-
ture, and the importance of the four turrets, which repeat the
motif of the tower and also finish or frame the design as a whole.
The relatively large number of apertures contrasts happily with
the plain expanse of the great roof. The windows and the roof
remind us to what an extent climate may condition architecture.
To shed the rain and snow and to admit all possible light are
needs of buildings in northern countries; while the flat roof and
thick wall with few openings to keep out the sun and heat char-
acterize the buildings of the warm southern countries where there
is little rain.
The Ypres Cloth Hall with its restraint and quiet nobility has
become more slender, more elegant, and more ornate in the Brussels
Town Hall (Pl. 119 a). Here again is illustrated the development
that we noticed in studying the Gothic cathedral, a tendency
toward lightness, elegance, and decoration. We see this in the
tower and turrets, in the roof broken by frequent dormers, and
in the light and shade of the fagade made rich by the carvings
and niches the original statues of which were painted and gilded.
This decoration, however, is not carried to the point of overload-
ing. There is enough restraint to keep a clear impression of the
unity of design.