Universe of Stone: Chartres Cathedral and the Invention of the Gothic
By Philip Ball
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
“A lively, open-ended study of the building of Chartres Cathedral. . . . Ball puts the fun back in medieval scholasticism.” —Los Angeles Times
Chartres Cathedral, south of Paris, is revered as one of the most beautiful and profound works of art in the Western canon. But what did it mean to those who constructed it in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries—and why was it built at such immense height and with such glorious play of light, in the soaring manner we now call Gothic?
In this eminently fascinating work, author Philip Ball makes sense of the visual and emotional power of Chartres and brilliantly explores how its construction—and the creation of other Gothic cathedrals—represented a profound and dramatic shift in the way medieval thinkers perceived their relationship with their world.
Beautifully illustrated and written, filled with astonishing insight, Universe of Stone embeds the magnificent cathedral in the culture of the twelfth century—its schools of philosophy and science, its trades and technologies, its politics and religious debates—enabling us to view this ancient architectural marvel with fresh eyes.
Philip Ball
Philip Ball is a freelance writer and broadcaster, and was an editor at Nature for more than twenty years. He writes regularly in the scientific and popular media and has written many books on the interactions of the sciences, the arts, and wider culture, including H2O: A Biography of Water, Bright Earth: The Invention of Colour, The Music Instinct, and Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything. His book Critical Mass won the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books. Ball is also a presenter of Science Stories, the BBC Radio 4 series on the history of science. He trained as a chemist at the University of Oxford and as a physicist at the University of Bristol. He is the author of The Modern Myths. He lives in London.
Read more from Philip Ball
Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way It Does Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Serving the Reich: The Struggle for the Soul of Physics under Hitler Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Invisible: The Dangerous Allure of the Unseen Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How to Grow a Human: Adventures in How We Are Made and Who We Are Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Minds: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to Aliens Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Universe of Stone: Chartres Cathedral and the Invention of the Gothic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Waste of Blood & Treasure: The 1799 Anglo-Russian Invasion of the Netherlands Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Elements: A Visual History of Their Discovery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeautiful Experiments: An Illustrated History of Experimental Science Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMade to Measure: New Materials for the 21st Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Universe of Stone
Related ebooks
Gothic Cathedrals: A Guide to the History, Places, Art, and Symbolism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGothic Art Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guidebook Selected French Gothic Cathedrals and Churches Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArchitecture (Gothic and Renaissance): Edited & Illustrated Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Notre-Dame: The Soul of France Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cathedrals of Northern France Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Architecture Lover's Guide to Rome Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReligious Art in France of the Thirteenth Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Looking Up Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crossing the Threshold: Architecture, Iconography and the Sacred Entrance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsByzantine Churches in Constantinople Their History and Architecture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConstantinople: “The Story of the Old Capital of the Empire” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEngland's Marvelous Gothic Cathedrals and Churches Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCathedrals and Cloisters of the South of France, Volume 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Cathedral Builders Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Stones of Venice I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Art + Travel Europe Caravaggio and Rome Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDa Vinci's Ghost: Genius, Obsession, and How Leonardo Created the World in His Own Image Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saving the Light at Chartres: How the Great Cathedral and Its Stained-Glass Treasures Were Rescued during World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Feud That Sparked the Renaissance: The Feud That Sparked The Renaissance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Michelangelo, God's Architect: The Story of His Final Years and Greatest Masterpiece Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Gothic Cathedral: Origins of Gothic Architecture and the Medieval Concept of Order - Expanded Edition Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Stones of Venice III Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Italian Piazza Transformed: Parma in the Communal Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects Vol. 04 (of 10), Filippino Lippi to Domenico Puligo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMyths of Venice: The Figuration of a State Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fountains of Rome: Selected Plates from the Classic "Le Fontane di Roma," 1660-1675 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Venice in History Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Inventing the World: Venice and the Transformation of Western Civilization Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Art For You
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Morpho: Anatomy for Artists Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Designer's Dictionary of Color Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anatomy for Fantasy Artists: An Essential Guide to Creating Action Figures & Fantastical Forms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lust Unearthed: Vintage Gay Graphics From the DuBek Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art 101: From Vincent van Gogh to Andy Warhol, Key People, Ideas, and Moments in the History of Art Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art Models 10: Photos for Figure Drawing, Painting, and Sculpting Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Draw and Paint Anatomy, All New 2nd Edition: Creating Lifelike Humans and Realistic Animals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Draw Like an Artist: 100 Flowers and Plants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Designer's Guide to Color Combinations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Drawing School: Fundamentals for the Beginner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Botanical Drawing: A Step-By-Step Guide to Drawing Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit and Other Plant Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Drawing and Sketching Portraits: How to Draw Realistic Faces for Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shape of Ideas: An Illustrated Exploration of Creativity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The World Needs Your Art: Casual Magic to Unlock Your Creativity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Electric State Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Universe of Stone
21 ratings0 reviews