Part of a series, which describes the social, political, religious and intellectual climate in which the visual arts developed in a particular period, this book, is a historical and analytical survey of the styles of the Gothic era which flourished in western and central Europe from the mid 12th century to the end of the 15th century. They grew out of Romanesque forms but were more directed by aethetic judgements than by religious formulas. New directions in architetcure allowed for structural exaggeration and the widespread introduction of stone tracery and glass screens. Later on, decorative detail seemed to exist independently of structural elements. The book includes information on book illuminations and woodcuts as well as the better-known gothic architecture with its structurally exaggerated and highly decorated features.