Expert: Karl Smith - 8/20/2004

Question
Hi Karl,

When did "Gothic Architecture" begin; and when did it end?  

Thanking you in advance.

Angel

Answer
Dear Angel

I'm a lighting designer not an architect so my answer may not be complete enough for you.

Gothic art evolved from Romanesque art and lasted from the mid-12th century to as late as the end of the 16th. The term Gothic was coined by classicizing Italian writers of the Renaissance, who attributed the invention (to them was the non-classical ugliness) of medieval architecture to the barbarian Gothic tribes that had destroyed the Roman Empire and its classical culture in the 5th century Ad. The term retained its derogatory overtones until the 19th century.

I hope this is helpful.

Karl