From the middle of the 12th century a totally new style of architecture emerged
in the great cathedrals of northern France. Incorporating improved building
techniques and a new perception of symbolic values, this styles quickly spread
throughout Europe, where, in many countries, it would endure for three centuries
or more. This was Gothic art, a prolonged and highly original phase in European
culture. In some countries this "Gothic architecture" was to rule until the
beggining of the 16th century. The term "Gothic" was first coined by early
Ranaissance architects as a means of deriding all architecture created in
a medieval style. The world itself referred to the idea of the barbaric past
of the dark ages and, more specifically, to the "goths"- germanic people who
invaded Italy in the fifth century and sacked Rome. However, the term was
to lose its derogatory overtones, and, by the Baroque age, great architects
such as Borromini and, later, Guarini were quick to appreciate the technical
quiality and originallity of form of these Gothic buildings. In the 19th century,
new sensitivities to the picturesque by the English critic John Ruskin, and
structural analysis by the french architect and leader of the Gothic Revival
in France, Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879), led to a reappraisal of the social
and religious qualities of the middle ages. Some 20th century studies of the
Gothic art have perhaps laid too much emphasis on trends linked to the evolution
of style or to geographical location.
This same term lately was used to denominate the XIX Century
literature, that had influences of the supernatural and fascination of death.
The word "goth" as a artistic movement came from the movement called: "Romanticism"
(XVIII-XIX) wich one liberty of expressions, fisic, moral, and emotional bloomed.
The word "Romance" doesn't means love necessarily, it means feelings "negative
or positive"(hate, love, sadness, melancholy, etc.) Everything changed at
this time, the view of mother nature, and the human being. The way of expression
of this movement was through their visual arts (literature, paintings, sculptures,
drawings etc.). But the true and better definition of describing this
word, It's by the architecture. Here's an example of a gothic cathedral:
Gothic :
Pertaining to or designating a style of architecture
characterized by pointed aeches and steep roofs. Pertaining to a literary
style of fiction prevalent in the late 18th and early 19th centuries which
emphasized the grotesque, mysterious, and desolate.
What goth is not
Maybe you're thinking that beign "goth" means dress as a maniac
vampire, act depressive or listening bands such as Marylin Manson or Cradle
of filth. Or maybe, beign bad, with gruesome appereance and a lot of pale
and morbib make-up. Most of people call that goth, but it doesn't have anything
to do with it, there's a lot of people who claim to be it though. There's
no one who can tell you if you're goth or not, there's no "gothic-god"
that can judge you and tell you if you're enough goth or not(neither a page*).
Being part of this culture is not all that you are, or named of, it's just
a part of the way you want to live it. So if you're asking yourself: How can
I be goth? I want to be one of them, cause they're cool... I'm sorry, you're
in the wrong place... It's not a hobbie, competition, nor fashion contest.
There's a lot of people naming themselves goths, and they don't even know
what gothic means. The people who knows it, may have a lot of different point
of views to describe it. Every city and country have their own different way
to live their own gothic scene. Being goth isn't go to your local industrial/darkwave/metal
shows or clubs on weekends wearing your favorite black robe(as your uniform).
There's a lot of people that wears crosses, pentagrams, or any other symbols
only because the others have it, and think that's cool. So, then it becomes
more like a fashion than what the symbols really mean, maybe they don't even
know what's the true meaning behind the symbol they wear. Some gothics are
called satanists just because their dark or gruesome appearance. There are
some satanists that are goths, and some goths who are satanists too, BUT*,
there's also parents, politicians, doctors, teachers etc. who are are involved
with satanism too, and you don't even know it. So there's no label that makes
a goth satanic. Being goth doesn't have anything to do with any religion nor
fraternity, each person have his own beliefs and nobody has nothing to do
with it. Being gothic isn't go to your nearest graveyard with your friends
and suck the blood of them with your fake fangs, neither is to go to a satanic
sect and offer a dead cow to your god. The word "gothic" has been
related with: satanism, paganism, witchery, atheism, freak, vampires, sado-masochism,
depression etc.. I don't know why, but it is stupid though. It isn't important
how we look, but it is what we are, and what we really think, not what others
think of us. My point is that we are what we have inside of our souls and
mind, not what we wear or we try to be.
Goth
as a musical scene
I don't take the gothic scene as a stereotype, but as people with the same
taste of music, thoughts and expressions. The "gothic subculture(as musical
scene)" is a very different way of living, acting and thinking. It doesn't
involucrate anyone with their lives or with their existence. Every person
has his own feelings and his own beliefs. I love to express myself whenever
there's the opportunity, so, we must learn when we can, and teach when we
must. There's a lot of interests in this way of living that most may like,
such as the music, philosophy, arts, romance, etc. But obviously not everyone,
if that's so, it becomes a stereotype. They're feelings and interests that
we learn day by day, nobody borns with these interests. We are learning new
and interesting things and feelings everyday of our lives. Not everyone look
the same , listen the same music, or think the same way. Unfortunately this
scene is discriminated by the society without a reason, just by their way
of thinking or appereance. There's so much hypocrisy in this planet that
people maybe just don't want to admit that some things are not truth, and
they just ignore those things. I'm not against those things or beliefs, but
neither I follow them.
Gothic is not what they are, but at least for me it is a great part of my life, it's what I hear, it's what I see, it's what I think, but I don't think that makes me a gothic person, It's just a part of my life, but not who I am. The "gothic" term it has gone too far, people has taken this word as a label to others, and put them in different categories. We're all humans, each one with different way to live our lives, very different, but still human beigns. So why bothering in making levels of knowledge or taste.?
The "gothic" scene have an extense of different meanings and aspects.
There are at least three major components of the subculture: (gothic social
scene, gothic personality, gothic music). Some people won't involve with the
three of them necessarily. For exmple the gothic social scene it may vary
in wich country we're talking about. But, the scene ideally facilitates the
exchange of ideas, point of views and gather all those interests together.
The gothic personality, wich includes originality, creativity, individualism,
and the different interest in the beauty of music. Almost everyone in the
subculture would probably agree that possessing the gothic personality is
ultimately what makes someone gothic. And last, but not least, the gothic
music, this aspect is what holds the social scene together, at least for me,
it's a great way to express and demonstrate the different way of thoughts
we have (wich is very different in every person). As the music changes, the
direction of the scene changes, and it's the reason why the scene changes
everyday.
Gothic musical history
The origin of the goth-music scene, was fomentated by David Bowie, T-Rex,
The Doors and Velvet Underground. But the real essence of the gothic-rock
or "death-punk" was in the 70's in U.K. with some influential bands
such as Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Buzzcocks, etc. Some of the bands influented
by Velvet Underground were Joy Division(1979), Siouxsie and the Banshees(1978)
and Bauhaus. They made a new role model, transformating the loud noises of
the guitar used it in punk, into a more melodic and macabre melodies. And
baptizing the name as "gothic" just because of the famous character
that lived in an building with gothic architecture. By the 80's there were
new goth-rock bands like: The Sisters of Mercy (with the gothic-dance movement),
London After Midnight and The Cure. At the finals of the 70's the word "goth"
was really normal in the news papers to describe the style of this music.
So in this way the goth was like a cultural way of living, thinking and acting.
The gothic music is kind of difficult to classify. There was the ethereal music going on at this time with the experimental-goth like: Clan of Xymox or Cocteau Twins. In the 90's were new bands of industrial-goth: Throbbing gristle and Rosetta Stone. The first band that had the wiccan(religion) ideology was Inkubus Sukkubus. Now we have a really extense list of bands and new divisions that are influenced or mixed with goth. Genres like: metal, industrial, electronic, ethereal, darkwave, dark ambient and many more...
..:: Some musical (genres) related definitions ::..
The gothic; Something that everybody discriminate, confuse and criticize without a reason, it has been very important to the humanity and as the time pass by, and it will prevail always, of course if it's not confused and it's well supported. In my opinion, this term has already gone too far, everybody knows about it, with bad information of it, but there is it, in any corner of the planet. I think is better to support this genre only by the people really likes it, and not by the ones who will only do it to have fun or to be cool. Those who name themselves gothics, and don't even know what it means, those who call themselves gothic freaks just for putting tons of gruesome makeup, have ceramic or plastic fangs, or dress always in black. My point... we are what we really feel, and not what we try to be just because we want to be cool or want to have friends. We must learn when we can, and teach when we must, however knowing a lot, we'll never know everything... Carpe Diem
Cinema Strange