I’ve mentioned in passing how the rise of the neo-Gothic architectural movement was deeply intertwined with the advent of Gothic literature. But the Gothic Revival was more than just a fun aesthetic phase—it was a political, philosophical, and artistic statement. Both Gothic literature and the revival of Gothic architecture emerged as a reaction against neoclassicism and the Enlightenment.
The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a philosophical movement that spread across Europe throughout the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. It emphasized rationality, science, and the pursuit of knowledge. While focusing on scientific advancement and progressing toward the future, the movement also looked back at ancient Greece and Rome for inspiration. The philosophers of these ancient civilizations were held up as role models of rational thought. Meanwhile, new architectural discoveries, such as the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, renewed people’s interest in Classical art and architecture. Soon France, Italy, England, and even the newly independent America saw a proliferation of grand buildings featuring symmetry, columns, domes, blank walls, and simple geometric shapes.
But not everyone was a fan of this stately neoclassical architecture and the Enlightenment ideals that it stood for. The end of the eighteenth century also saw the rise of Romanticism—an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that existed in opposition to rationalism. The Romantics valued emotion over reason, and particularly liked to explore strong feelings brought on by the contemplation of nature and of the past. But you didn’t need to go as far back as ancient Greece and Rome to appreciate history—the Romantics were more interested in the medieval era, a time before modern science and invention, when the world seemed a little more mysterious, a little more magical. This interest extended to medieval architecture, particularly a style that had become known as the Gothic. This style was developed in the late twelfth century and featured pointed arches, vaulted ceilings, towering spires, flying buttresses, and intricate ornamentation. When the style fell out of favor in the Renaissance, such excess was regarded as crude and barbaric, and the style was given the derogatory name of “Gothic,” referring to the tribe of “barbarians” famous for sacking Rome.
If you wanted to fight against Classicism then, what better way than with a style named after the people who destroyed one of those classic civilizations? Horace Walpole was one of the first to put his money where his mouth was and go from simply collecting and admiring medieval artifacts to building himself his own medieval-inspired castle. The vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, and imposing turrets of Walpole’s estate, Strawberry Hill House, were the perfect background against which to write a story inspired by medieval genres of literature, which ultimately became the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto (1764). Other Romantics caught on to the trend, and either constructed their own neo-Gothic structures—if not a full castle for themselves, then perhaps a quaintly deteriorating “folly” (artificial ruins) on the grounds of their estate—or spent time basking in the aura of genuine medieval-era buildings like Westminster Abbey or Notre Dame. They used medieval buildings as the settings for wildly popular tales of horror and hauntings, which in turn added an air of mystique to buildings in that style. The neo-Gothic revival ultimately faded away, however, once interest in the medieval era waned in the early twentieth century. The pendulum swung the other way, as people began to value minimalism and function over excessive ornamentation, giving rise to new architectural styles like Modernism.
So, why is this relevant today? Well, you may have noticed that there’s a cyclical nature to these things, as the same styles fall in and out of fashion. It seems that neoclassical architecture may be on the upswing again. Just the other week, news outlets reported on a proposal being drafted for a new executive order that would mandate neoclassical architecture as the official style of the United States federal government. Titled “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again,” this proposal would establish neoclassical as the default style for new federal buildings, and would make it difficult for designs in other styles to get approved. Supporters of the proposal view it as continuing the legacy of the earliest federal buildings, such as the White House and the Capitol Building, that were built in this style. But others feel that the federal government shouldn’t dictate matters of taste by declaring one official style, and should instead allow artists and architects to exercise their creativity. As for me, I think that if some folks in this country are going to start touting neoclassicism as the epitome of beauty, rationality, and progress again, then we need a resurgence of the Gothic to remind them of mystery, romance, and the beauty of the unknown and unknowable.
What do you think? Do you prefer neoclassical or neo-Gothic architecture? Do you hold with Enlightenment ideals or with the Romantics? Do these two sets of values and aesthetics need to be in opposition? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!