I remember first learning about Gothic Cathedrals in Middle School. The scale and appearance of these massive places were designed to reach towards heaven. The pointed arches, ceilings, and “prickly…jutting..thorny, bossy, and bristly” (535) spires seem to point towards God, as man’s futile effort to become closer. These cathedrals were also so large in scale that when entering, man would feel tiny in comparison. Features such as these seem to be an effort made to transcend the boundaries of nature and reach towards the supernatural.

However, when I think of Gothic Revival and Romanticism, I think of authors and poets paying careful attention to their feelings and to the natural world. This is reflected in how Ruskin says Gothic architecture must mirror the natural world: ““we must no more expect to derive either pleasure or profit from an architecture whose ornaments are of one patter, and whose pillars are of one proportion, that we should out of a universe in which clouds were all of one shape, and the trees all of one size,” (535). The structure of a Gothic building is also “rigid,” similar to the natural world in its construction; the interior of a Gothic building is often skeletal and mathematical, much like “the bones of a limb, or fibre of a tree” (553). Many Romantic artists, such as John Constable (top) and Caspar David Friedrich (bottom), used this Gothic Architecture as their subject matter. These paintings are examples of their work, which contrasted man-made buildings with the natural world, by framing the buildings within nature.

The Stones of Venice made me rethink my assumptions about Gothic Architecture. Ruskin points out that it takes both “Mental Expression” and “Material Form” (538) to make something truly Gothic. Ruskin also talks about what the “enslaved” worker must feel like, being forced to make everything match on the building. This inevitably leads to the somber tone of Gothic architecture. I do not think these attributes are relatable to the UT campus. Like Liz said, the buildings on the UT campus are reflective of the Texas landscape. While many older universities use Gothic Architecture, UT’s campus remains true to its roots. I feel the architecture of these older universities can be demonstrative of their backgrounds or religious beginnings, but they seem lofty with these high-reaching buildings. UT’s Spanish-style buildings suit its atmosphere and its students.