History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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We might be Fruits too.
Nice!
This is a great photo book.
A Birthday Gift
Colorful World

Fruits
Shoichi Aoki
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0714840831

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

If you ever wondered where the catwalk got its claws, then the portraits gathered in photographer Shoichi Aoki's book Fruits, from the streets of Harajuku in Tokyo, point the way to an extraordinarily imaginative and invariably stunning glut of mongrel fashion heists. A best-of collection from the fanzine of the same name, and published for the first time outside Japan, Fruits keeps its style clean: front-on, razor-sharp images, ranging from the deadpan to the manic, of the sharpest collages of sartorial influence that, usually, little money can buy. From off the peg to off the wall, kitsch to bitch, each person bears a combination and philosophy as distinctive as DNA. All shades of aesthetic are raided, with exquisite, scrupulous attention to detail. Punk is a favorite, as is, appropriately, Vivienne Westwood, alongside Milk and Jean-Paul Gaultier, and the occasional Comme des Garçons. Many of the outfits, though, are second-hand or self-assembly, such as a skirt drooping petals of men's silk ties, Wa-mono, when tradition Japanese clothes are topped with, say, an authentic bowler hat, EGL (elegant gothic Lolita), and a swathe of tartans, pinks, and turquoises. The most malleable feature, unsurprisingly, is hair, with dreadlocks, mohicans, back-combing, and crops dyed an irradiated spectrum. While the eye is drawn, obediently, to the mannequins, the background is often worth a look, either for the vending machines against which a number are shot, or the ubiquitous Gap store and bags, a constant reminder of the global mass market.

One enterprising man wears a genuine British paperboy's delivery bag, and, to pick but one profile, Princess, 18, is trying to be a doll and is currently preoccupied with body organs. Mmm. All the subjects are asked the source of their clothes, as well as their "point of fashion" and "current obsession." The scope for sociopsychological discussion is vast, particularly with the preponderance of infantilization, through dolls, bonnets, pop socks, and Barbie, but this is a joyous documentation of the innovative, celebrating the inspirational polytheism of street fashion, captured with provocative, political zeal. Best let the street cats prowl. --David Vincent

Book Description

If you ever wondered where the catwalk got its claws, then the portraits gathered in photographer Shoichi Aoki's book Fruits, from the streets of Harajuku in Tokyo, point the way to an extraordinarily imaginative and invariably stunning glut of mongrel fashion heists. A best-of collection from the fanzine of the same name, and published for the first time outside Japan, Fruits keeps its style clean: front-on, razor-sharp images, ranging from the deadpan to the manic, of the sharpest collages of sartorial influence that, usually, little money can buy. From off the peg to off the wall, kitsch to bitch, each person bears a combination and philosophy as distinctive as DNA. All shades of aesthetic are raided, with exquisite, scrupulous attention to detail. Punk is a favorite, as is, appropriately, Vivienne Westwood, alongside Milk and Jean-Paul Gaultier, and the occasional Comme des Gar+ons. Many of the outfits, though, are second-hand or self-assembly, such as a skirt drooping petals of men's silk ties, Wa-mono, when tradition Japanese clothes are topped with, say, an authentic bowler hat, EGL (elegant gothic Lolita), and a swathe of tartans, pinks, and turquoises. The most malleable feature, unsurprisingly, is hair, with dreadlocks, mohicans, back-combing, and crops dyed an irradiated spectrum. While the eye is drawn, obediently, to the mannequins, the background is often worth a look, either for the vending machines against which a number are shot, or the ubiquitous Gap store and bags, a constant reminder of the global mass market.One enterprising man wears a genuine British paperboy's delivery bag, and, to pick but one profile, Princess, 18, is trying to be a doll and is currently preoccupied with body organs. Mmm. All the subjects are asked the source of their clothes, as well as their "point of fashion" and "current obsession." The scope for sociopsychological discussion is vast, particularly with the preponderance of infantilization, through dolls, bonnets, pop socks, and Barbie, but this is a joyous documentation of the innovative, celebrating the inspirational polytheism of street fashion, captured with provocative, political zeal. Best let the street cats prowl. --David Vincent

Customer Reviews:

We might be Fruits too........2007-09-26

My high school art class, Costume Design, LOVE this book. It's fun to see teenagers in another culture taking western fashion and personalizing it. Every time I pick up the book I see something new. We've only had the book a couple of weeks and it is already dog-eared.

Nice!.......2007-03-27

Great book, made my girlfriend quite happy. She is very into Japanese street fashion and this book just captivated her, she looked through it about 20 times the day i gave it to her.

This is a great photo book........2007-02-04

Even if you aren't particularly interested in Japanese youth culture, this book is just a great example of fashion or humanity and the expansion of western culture into the eastern. The photographs are all high quality and just about every page also has a little questionaire filled out by each subject so you get to know a little more about them then their outrageous fashion sense.

A Birthday Gift.......2007-01-10

I got this for my 14 year old son who is into Asian pop culture.
He enjoyed the book but thought it had too much FASION aspect.

Colorful World.......2006-09-30

I had the good fortune to run into this book on vacation. As soon as I got home I ordered both Fruits and it's companion. As a self motivated student of fashion and all of it's off-shoots, I immensely enjoy this book. It is a plethora of individuals, and not a duplicate picture in the book. It features mostly youth (teenagers) but that is to be expected. But it doesn't limit itself to just the very young. There are a few family photos and "older" individuals. It is a monument to anyone who creatively clothed themselves. It gives brief details: name, age, point of fashion, fashion brands and makers. A lot of the "point of fashion" remarks seem like nonsense at first. After reflection, I think they are just 'smart allec come-backs', much like what you'd get from someone in the American Gothic culture if you asked one of them why they wear black all the time. Even with brief details you can start to see patterns in clothing styles seperating themselves out from one another. By age particularly, and by preference to designers within a group of friends. The only problem I had was reading some of the bubble gum colored print that it was done in.

Images in the margins of Gothic manuscripts (California studies in the history of art)

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Images in the margins of Gothic manuscripts (California studies in the history of art)
Lilian M. C Randall
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B0007DO0FG

Hollywood gothic: The tangled web of Dracula from novel to stage to screen

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Hollywood gothic: The tangled web of Dracula from novel to stage to screen
David J Skal
Manufacturer: Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Italian Frescoes: The Age of Giotto, 1280-1400

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Hard read
Magnifico!
Il Primo

Italian Frescoes: The Age of Giotto, 1280-1400
Joachim Poeschke
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0789208636

Customer Reviews:

Hard read.......2007-07-03

I wonder how many people who buy a book like this, actually read it. It took me six months before I had the courage. And now that I have - and have three more volumes to go - I admit that I would have preferred a somewhat more pedestrian approch, perhaps - I should say - a somewhat more Anglosaxon (or American) approach. Because this book is definitely written in the German tradition, which goes especially for the several general introductions to the volume.
Short as they are, they are hard to read and a lot is taken for granted. I am an art lover, am well at home in the nineteenth century, but am less acquainted with the art of the middle ages and early renaissance, whereas on the other hand I know the general history of the period reasonably well. And although I have already visited many of the churches and chapels, frescoes and mosaics, described in the book, I still find parts of the introductory texts hard to follow. Commenting on fhe frescoes in the Assisi upper church, one of the highlights in the volume, Poeschke writes: "As for their innovate artistic qualities in general, these are already seen in the unified overall conception into the built architecture, in part by illusionistic means, and extend to the well balanced pictorial strucure, the clearly defined volumes and body language of the figures, a heightened presence of everything being represented, and an extension and refinement of the color spectrum. More than ever before, a compositional calculus asserts itself in these paintings (...)." (p.64) Which may all be very true of course, but which is also very dull, and in a way also very abstract. And whereas the layout of plates, diagrams and figures is cristalclear, I find the texts about them a lot less orderly.
Why not, before every church, a small historical introduction, and than a running and systematic textual commentary on the plates? And why not, for instance, systematically add the text of Bonaventura, on which the frescoes are based? This book has a strange way of taking its reader seriously, and at the same time not seriously enough. Where `s the editor? Where Poeschke does give an extended description of a fresco, he does so in an excellent way. But why not systematically combine the texts on the plates with the plates itself? I don't think this is really a quibble. It is a bit of a waste to produce a great looking book, without really thinking of the reader. It is easy to leaf through this book and say: "hey, this looks great", which it does, but I found reading it not always a pleasure.
But then, these are also wonderfull volumes, one has to admit. The quality of the photographs is excellent, the extensive coverage of many of the Italian medieval churches and chapels is a pleasure to behold. One may whine now and then at the tedious style, there is also an immense amount of knowledge assembled here. Would' nt it be great to have a very small pocketversion of an improved version of this book, just to take along to Italy?

Magnifico!.......2006-01-11

The latest in the set of now four brilliant works on the frescoes of the Italian renaissance, "The Age of Giotto" is a masterwork that is worthy of a museum. From the Giotto, Simon Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti, and Cimabue wall paintings in the fascinating double church in Assisi, to the lesser known (and nearly disappeared) work by Cavallini in Santa Cecilia en Trastevere, the commentary is enlightening and the photography stunning. You will not find a better book on the early examples of this wonderful art form than this one. See the other three books - "The Early Renaissance", "The Flowering of the Renaissance" and "The High Renaissance and Mannerism" - for the compete, magnificent look at 200 years of fresco masterpieces.

Il Primo.......2005-11-09

One word describes this book - brilliant! This is the best book on the market for early Italian frescoes with a happy marriage of the finest photography and finest text. Congratulations and thanks.

Four Gothic Kings: The Turbulent History of Medieval England and the Plantagenet Kings (1216-1377 Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III Se)

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A coffee table book of the best kind

Four Gothic Kings: The Turbulent History of Medieval England and the Plantagenet Kings (1216-1377 Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III Se)

Manufacturer: Grove Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1555841716

Customer Reviews:

A coffee table book of the best kind.......2001-08-02

In a sequel to her _Plantagenet Chronicles,_ Hallam follows the same style and layout and indulges in the same lavishness of illustration. In addition to the four generations of monarchs in the title, one finds featured many of the other influential figures of the time, including St. Louis IX, William Wallace, Dante and Chaucer, Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi, and even Jenghiz Khan. From the birth of the Age of Chivalry to the Black Death that killed almost half of Europe (and precipitated the decline of Norman-Angevin feudalism), these were what the old Chinese curse might regard as "interesting times."

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Another Gorgeous Publication
I love it - I think
A woman gives birth to a cat...what more could you want from a book?!
Visually appealing, but not great fiction
A novel in pictures

The Adventuress
Audrey Niffenegger
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 081097052X

Book Description

The author of the New York Times bestseller The Time Traveler's Wife returns with another evocative “novel in pictures,” the much-anticipated follow-up to 2005's The Three Incestuous Sisters. The Adventuress follows the dreamlike journey of an alchemist's daughter. After she is kidnapped by a lascivious baron, she turns herself into a moth and flees to the garden of a charming butterfly collector named Napoleon Bonaparte. The story of how the two become lovers, and how their affair ends in tragedy and transcendence, is told through Niffenegger's spare prose and haunting aquatint etchings. With a stunning and distinctive visual style reminiscent of the work of Edward Gorey, this gothic romance packs the emotional heft of the world's great fairy tales. It will delight fans of the author's previous works and enchant an entirely new legion of readers.

Customer Reviews:

Another Gorgeous Publication.......2007-07-24

Another gorgeous publication. I just wish the author would follow up with another wonderful story like Time Traveler's Wife. Something I can really sink my mind into.

I love it - I think.......2007-06-22

Niffenegger appears to be publishing her work in reverse order - this offering includes ideas developed from her art-school sketchbooks. Maybe this author's "Time Traveler's Wife" was more autobiographical than she's letting on.

It's not another "Wife," though. It more closely resembles her "Three Incestuous Sisters." Like the "Sisters," it's a Gorey-esque series of images, one per two-page spread, with just a few words on the facing page. And, even more than the "Sisters," it baffles the reader with dream-like transitions that defy normal logic.

The imagery is what counts here. It appears to be a sequence of aquatints with line etching, a printmaking technique that looks a little like pen drawing with solid color washes. The un-named heroine of this story is an elfin young woman with short hair and missing shirt. As with Gorey, it's a style that will catch your eye or won't, and a story (I think it's a story) that will catch you imagination or won't. I'm caught, partly because of the charm of the story and art, and partly because my mind can't let go of the mystery and ambiguity in them.

-- wiredweird

A woman gives birth to a cat...what more could you want from a book?!.......2007-06-10

"The Adventuress" is another one of Audrey Niffenegger's picture novels. This particular book was created during the mid-80's when Niffenegger was a student at The Art Institute of Chicago. The story follows the life of an alchemist's daughter who is kidnapped by an evil, salacious baron. She kills the baron and is imprisoned, but she manages to escape by turning into a moth and flying into Napoleon Bonaparte's garden. The two become lovers, and the alchemist's daughter becomes pregnant and gives birth to Maurice...a cat. Ultimately, the affair between Napoleon and the Adventuress meets a tragic end because of Napoleon's betrayal, but the story manages to end on a positive note.

I really loved this book. It has a very similar feel as "The Three Incestuous Sisters," which is the other picture book that Niffenegger has released. There are very few words to the story, but the entire tale can be absorbed just by looking at the amazing images. I understand why other reviewers compare Niffenegger's work to that of Edward Gorey, but in my opinion, Niffenegger's images evoke much more emotion and passion than Gorey's ever did. I also want to mention how lovely the actual book itself is: the paper is absolutely gorgeous and the book is bound in lush dark green velvet. Lovers of fine art will appreciate this book, as will anyone else who takes pleasure in beautiful things.

Visually appealing, but not great fiction.......2007-04-10

As others have noted, if you buy this book with the expectation that the story will be even an ounce as compelling as The Time Traveler's Wife, you will be disappointed. I gave this book 2 stars for the quality. As picture novels go, it is given the royal print quality treatment. However, I was underwhelemed by the illustrations and storyline. I know it was written years ago and I like that it was dusted off and resurrected, but it just didn't draw me in. Pardon the pun ;)

A novel in pictures.......2007-01-19

Don't buy The Adventuress hoping to have the same sense of wonderment and awe that you felt when you finished The Time Traveler's Wife. It isn't that sort of book.

The Adventuress is the second of Niffenegger's picture novels (that were mass produced at least. The first being the Three Incestuous Sisters), but it's the first one she wrote. In a footnote at the end of the book, she says it was made between 1983 and 1985 when she was a student at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The book is beautifully bound, the pictures are amazing. Some of them I'd be tempted to cut out and frame if it wouldn't ruin the book. In the epilogue, she describes the process it takes to create these images and thanks the people who taught her the technique.

The story, itself, isn't much of a story so much as words that take you through the story the pictures tell. The art itself is the story, so if the words she wrote before in her amazingly successful novel The Time Traveler's Wife are what drew you to this story, prepare to be disappointed.

But if you want to see inside the mind of an artist, who can write as well as create, I think you'll be impressed. I didn't know what to expect, but knew that I liked her work and this book was a pleasant surprise. The Adventuress is indeed an adventure for those who have never seen the work of a visual artist in which the pictures themselves are the story. It isn't a graphic novel. The words are there to enhance the images, but the pictures themselves are the star.

I don't know what to tell you, but to pick it up and take a look. You could read it in 15 minutes at Barnes and Noble and know whether or not you wanted to take the chance and buy it. Myself, I'll probably keep it out as coffee table book, because it would be a shame for her art to be hidden on a bookshelf.

A Discerning Eye: Essays on Early Italian Painting

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A Discerning Eye: Essays on Early Italian Painting
Richard Offner , Andrew Ladis , Hayden B. J. Maginnis , and Craig Hugh Smyth
Manufacturer: Pennsylvania State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0271017473

Book Description

An anthology of essays by a great critic-historian of Early Italian painting, Richard Offner.

A Discerning Eye is an anthology of some of the finest and most lasting essays by a great critic-historian of Early Italian painting, Richard Offner. Its contents span the Florentine fourteenth century and thus compose a kind of portrait album of some of its most notable painters between the Gothic and Renaissance eras, from the Magdalen Master in the thirteenth century to Masaccio in the early fifteenth. Each essay contains insights that are as incisive, fresh, and evocative today as when they were first written. The essays are illustrated using Offner's original photographs supplemented by new or additional photographs when dictated by the material or when the reader might be better helped to see the relationship between Offner's analytical prose and a given image.

Book Description

To appreciate England’s earliest Gothic buildings and art—the great cathedrals at Canterbury, Lincoln, Salisbury, and Wells and contemporary Gothic texts and images—it is necessary to understand the religious and ethical ideals of the individuals and communities who sponsored them. Paul Binski’s fascinating new book offers a radical new perspective on English art, architecture, social formation, and religious imagination during this pivotal period.

Binski reveals that the Church, although authoritarian and undergoing reform, was able to come to terms with new developments in society and technology as well as with the fact of social and religious diversity. He explains how varying ideals of personal sanctity were bound up with radical new notions of leadership, personal ethics, and styles of religious devotion and how ideas of reform of worship, personal conduct, and art affected the community at large.

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Architecture, mathematics, aesthetics
Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam
The contextual foundations of Gothic Architecture

The Gothic Cathedral
Otto Georg Von Simson
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691018677

Book Description

"The Gothic Cathedral is the most stimulating and comprehensive work on the subject to date. . . . If the cathedrals are to be understood, Mr. von Simson rightly declares, they must be seen not in the light of twentieth-century esthetic observation, but of twelfth-century religious experience, through which the supernatural permeated every aspect of human existence. . . . The resulting interpretation of the monuments is a critical tour de force." --Allan Temko, The New York Times Book Review "Not since Mont-St.-Michel and Chartres has so poetic and so evocative a study of the Gothic movement been published. . . . The Gothic Cathedral is based on a wide factual as well as intuitive knowledge, transformed by the author's illuminating style into a text both formidable and pleasurable."--The Virginia Quarterly Review

Customer Reviews:

Architecture, mathematics, aesthetics.......2007-01-28

An interesting theme is the connection with mathematics. "With few exceptions, the Gothic builders have been tight-lipped about the symbolic significance of their projects, but they are unanimous in paying tribute to geometry as the basis of their art. ... With but a single basic dimension given, the Gothic architect developed all other magnitudes of his ground plan and elevation by strictly geometrical means, using as modules certain regular polygons, above all the square. ... Proportions thus obtained the master considers to be 'according to true measure'. ... Why this extraordinary submission, so alien to our own notions concerning the nature of art and of the freedom of artistic creation, to the laws of geometry? ... The Gothic artist would have overthrown the rule of geometry, had he considered it, as most modern artists would, a fetter. It is clear, on the other hand, that he did not use his geometrical canons for purely aesthetic reasons either, since he applied them where they are invisible to the observer. ... In the first book of his treatise De musica, St. Augustine defines music as the 'science of good modulation'. ... The science of good modulation is concerned with the relating of several musical units according to a module, a measure, in such a way that the relation can be expressed in simple arithmetical ratios. The most admirable ratio, according to Augustine, is that of equality or symmetry, the ratio 1:1, since here the union or consonance between the two parts is most intimate. Next in rank are the ratios 1:2, 2:3, 3:4 ... Augustine uses architecture, as he does music, to show that number, as apparent in the simpler proportions that are based on the 'perfect' ratios, is the source of all aesthetic perfection. ... For him, music and architecture are sisters, since both are children of number; they have equal dignity, inasmuch as architecture mirrors eternal harmony, as music echoes it. ... The Cathedral of Sens is the first Gothic cathedral. ... [T]he ground plan of Sens being designed ad quadratum, the square bays of the nave are twice as wide as those of the side aisles; owing to the tripartite elevation, it was possible to give the same proportion to the relative heights of nave and aisles. The elevation of the nave to the springing of the vaults, moreover, is subdivided, at the level of the arcade imposts, into two equal parts: the octave ratio of 1:2 permeates the entire edifice. ... Fortunately, at least one literary document survives that explains the use of geometry in Gothic architecture: the minutes of the architectural conferences held during 1391 and the following years in Milan. ... The question debated at Milan is not whether the cathedral is to be built according to a geometrical formula, but merely whether the figure to be used is to be the square ... or the equilateral triangle. ... The minutes of one particularly stormy session relate an angry dispute between the French expert, Jean Mignot, and the Italians. Overruled by them on a technical issue, Mignot remarks bitterly that his opponents have set aside the rules of geometry by alleging science to be one thing and art another. Art, however, he concludes, is nothing without science, 'ars sine scientia nihil est'. ... This argument was considered unassailable even by Mignot's opponents. They hasten to affirm that they are in complete agreement as regards this theoretical point and have nothing but contempt for an architect who presumes to ignore the dictates of geometry."

Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam.......2005-09-13

There aren't many books available looking at the phenomenon or idea of the Gothic Cathedral as a whole, and few of those are generally accessible reading. There are countless books on particular cathedrals and churches - Notre Dame, Salisbury Cathedral, Chartes, the Abbey of St. Denis. There are other books that look at particular aspects of the architecture or function; particular books on flying buttresses, stained-glass windows, and such are also numerous.

This third edition of Otto von Simon's book (originally published in 1956, updated in 1962 and again in 1987) looks at the Gothic Cathedral as a whole from many different standpoints - architecture, artistic value, spiritual value, economic value and influence, functional and practical concerns. 'The cathedral,' Simson wrote in his first preface, 'was designed as an image, and was meant to be understood as one.' Simson is direct in his admiration of Gothic style, calling Gothic architecture 'perhaps the most creative achievement in the history of Western architecture'. It is indeed hard to find rivals to this claim.

The Gothic Cathedral, according to Simson, is the earthly representation of supernatural reality. It is a physical manifestation of the theological ideas and aspirations of the Middle Ages. However, Gothic has become a bit too commonplace in some respects - being at the centre of many European and North American cities and towns, it also suffers from being seen as a relic more appropriately the object of archaeological examination than current appreciation.

Simson highlights many of the aspects of Gothic architecture, including the use of light in new, unparalleled ways, and the relationship between structure and appearance. Stained glass windows, according to Simson, 'are structurally and aesthetically not openings in the wall to admit light, but transparent walls.' Gothic also took advantage of advances in design and building materials to emphasise verticality beyond what earlier architectural forms could do. This together with the sense of geometric precision and orderliness made the Gothic church a reflection of heaven. Simson develops Augustine's idea of architecture and music as enjoyments of transcendence, 'since both are children of number; they have equal dignity, inasmuch as architecture mirrors eternal harmony, as music echoes it.'

In addition to talking about the aesthetic principles of Gothic style, Simson develops the political and social history out of which it emerged. He gives an extended biography of Abbot Suger of St. Denis, in most regards the father of the Gothic style. Simson shows the competing ideas political and religious in the world, as well as the different influences and forces at work on Suger. 'Suger undertook the rebuilding of his church in order to implement his master plan in the sphere of politics. His vision as a stateman imposed itself upon the architectural project; he conceived it as the monumental expression of that vision.' This place was to be thought of in the same regard as Jerusalem, Constantinople and Rome. However, this political vision was far from the only image for Suger, for such an image most likely would not have endured. Simson explores the various aesthetical and practical influences upon Suger, what prompted him to make the decisions he did, and what came to be the birthplace of Gothic churches.

Simson explores other structures as well - most notably, he concentrates on the cathedral of Chartes as one of the principle examples of high Gothic style. This discussion not only examines the building and design aspects, but also the economic aspects of the community of Chartes and surrounding areas and how this impacted the building of the great cathedral, and vice versa. Of Chartes, Simson says we may 'well define it as a "model" of the cosmos as the Middle Ages perceived it. But this "model" was ontologically transparent. It reflected an ultimate reality.'

The book contains 52 black-and-white plates with pictures and graphics, and 8 text figures as line-art drawings. It has sections of addenda and a postscript of revisions of earlier editions. There is a very extensive bibliography for further research, and a reasonable index. The book itself is footnoted throughout, many of the footnotes being rather substantial. This is not a 'popular' book, and is written in an academic style. However, the content is so intriguing that that is a minor consideration. My one wish for the text would be that there were colour pictures or plates included with the text.

This is a very interesting and worthwhile text, good for anyone interested in the history of architecture, Gothic design, cathedrals and worship spaces, and the intersection of faith and the physical world.

The contextual foundations of Gothic Architecture.......2000-03-13

As an art historian, museum curator, and traveler to France I found this book very useful. Most books on Gothic Architecture look at style as though it exists for its own sake. Simson places the beginnings of Gothic Architecture into the intellectual and historical context that gave this archetectual style its birth. The two sections that I most enjoyed were the theology of light that Suger was trying to express through architecture and the historical/political life of Suger. Both of these elements had a profound effect on the developement and impact of the Abby Church of St. Denis. This book represents architectural history as it should be written. Simson's approach is only possible because of his ability to draw upon a broad and deep educational framework. Reading this book caused me to lament the shallowness of much of what passes for scholarly training and writing in our time. You don' t have to be an architectural historian to enjoy this book. But you should be passionate about ideas. Simson shows us how ideas have consequences. This is one of the best books I have ever read.

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