Macro to Micro

This week after talking about the various cathedrals and styles of cathedrals from different regions one thing that they all have in common is the idea of heaven on earth, or making the inside of these cathedrals give the impression that you are in heaven. " the artistic focus shifted to buildings interior, on creating a mystic image of heaven that was the very opposit of the architecture of the workaday world outside" (Roth 298)Another thing that all the cathedrals have in common is the use of light, the uniter. With the idea that all the architects using light in the design to give the impression of heaven on earth it makes it clear that what is considered to be the dark ages is more of the age or light.
Another technique used to create the impression of heaven on earth and to make the massive buildings appear to be even bigger was painting, commonly frescos. "Both woodworking techniques and painting were used to extend space". (Blakemore 97) This was a common thing to see in Florence interiors. They focused a lot on detail and used a lot of different techniques, "of decorative techniques used for both walls and furniture intarsia was a central phenomenon of the period, used to represent perspective schemes of architecture." (Blakemore 97) Another technique used for decoration during the middle ages was stained glass. The architects used as much window space as possible in order to use stained glass as a sort of diagram or storyboard to tell stories. This also ties in with the idea of letting light into the buildings, because light was so important.
There was a strong sense of composition in the construction of the cathedrals. The was a standard that they all shared. "More than any previous medieval building type the gothic cathedral was quickly standardized in its plan and basic components."(Roth 333) Early gothic churches of chartres standardized the components. "by the time the last of these was begun, cathedral architecture had reached the stage called high gothic, fully developed in all its consituent and intedgraded parts, pointed arches and broken rib vaulting, skeletonized structure and exterior flying buttress.(Roth 333)