In the Middle Ages, Europe reached its peak from 12 to 15, with profound changes in economy and society and unprecedented development of ideology, culture and art. The artistic style of this period is usually called "Gothic" style. The origin of the word "Goth" is quite difficult to say, because "Goth" was originally the name of a savage nomadic tribe in Scandinavia. Goths moved south from 1 century and settled in the Danube region, but in the long years after that, they did not develop this traceable artistic style. The famous Italian painter Raphael used the word "Gothic" for the first time in his letter to Pope Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, in order to criticize the architectural style of Central and Northern Europe before the Renaissance, that is, to use the word "Gothic" as a synonym for "barbarism", thus calling everything from the northern part of Mount Neseb "Gothic". Since then, Qiao Erqiao O 'vasari, an Italian art critic in16th century, has denounced all the art between ancient Europe and Renaissance as "the creation of Goths", and the name "Goth" has been used ever since. In fact, Gothic art has nothing to do with Gothic. It is a higher development of Romanesque art and a reflection of Catholic theology in the Middle Ages.

Gothic architecture first appeared in northern France in the first half of the12nd century. 1 140 to 1 144, the director of saint-denis Abbey in the north of Paris organized the reconstruction of the choir of the monastery church. He was the first to propose that church architecture should express the three ideals of light, height and number. According to this requirement, when building the hall, the architect tried to use the methods of extending to the height, adding windows and changing the proportion, which reflected the architectural style pioneered by Gothic art, and since then this style has been widely adopted throughout Europe. In Britain, the French architect William began to design the Gothic Canterbury Cathedral in 1 174. There are Southbury Cathedral built in 1220 and Westminster Abbey built in 1245. British architects created a "vertical style" to enhance the vertical rise and towering effect of Gothic churches. In France, Gothic architecture is widely admired and praised. At that time, Paris had replaced Rome as the center of the Catholic world in the Middle Ages. The religious atmosphere of Catholic belief, the supremacy of church power, and the medieval scholasticism, which emphasized rational exploration and complex and subtle thinking to get God's inspiration, were all expressed and embodied in the theological artistic conception and aesthetic taste of tall, lively and luxurious Gothic church buildings, so this artistic style was deeply favored by the French. The symbol of the maturity of French Gothic architecture is Notre Dame de Paris, which was founded in 1 163. In addition, the Chater Cathedral rebuilt by 12 15, the Amiens Cathedral built by 1220 and the Reims Cathedral built by 1225 are all examples of European Gothic churches. In their architectural art, the French created round flower windows and "flame-style" window decorations composed of three concentric circles, so that when the outside light passes through the glass windows, the church can emit brilliant and mysterious light. The carved prism decoration on the church steeple created by him enriches the gorgeous and elegant posture of Gothic architecture. This style also influenced Milan Cathedral in Italy, which was built in 1386. On both sides of it are clusters of towering minarets and supporting arches, carved like ivory, which are exquisite. Gothic architecture in Germany started late, the most spectacular of which is Cologne Cathedral built in 1248, while Ulm Cathedral built in 1377, with its spire as high as 16 1 m, is the tallest church in the world. Gothic churches in Germany have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and tower buildings soaring into the sky have produced a strong soaring and sublimation effect, which is amazing.

Gothic sculpture art is mainly manifested in the relief group images in the center of the church lintel, as well as the statues of the Virgin Mary, Christ and saints on the door tickets and columns. Typical examples of these sculptures are the sculpture of the last trial at the west middle gate of Notre Dame de Paris and the cylindrical sculpture of the saints covering the main entrance of the cathedral, which is characterized by slender figure, stiff posture, and the figures' heads leaning forward and backward, looking around. In addition, Gothic figure sculpture also pays attention to the characteristics of clothing description and tension between lines, and they mostly use the image of the Virgin Child. Among them, the famous statue of the Virgin Krumo in Bohemia in the14th century is famous for its bright and clear structure and elegant lines. Madonna of Wirlof Church in avignon, which is famous for its "Gothic Swing", uses the curvature of ivory to carve a human figure into a twisted posture, giving people a vivid feeling.

Because the windows of Gothic churches are enlarged and the walls are narrowed, the painting art of Gothic churches is mainly stained glass windows, while churches in Italy and other places only leave some large-scale murals with religious themes. The stained glass window painting is based on the story of the Bible and is made of small pieces of stained glass in red, blue and purple. The most outstanding works are the glass window paintings of Chatterhouse Cathedral and Bruges Cathedral. Gothic murals are famous for their altar painting Good News of Angels, which was created by simone martini for Siena Cathedral in the14th century. Giotto is a famous artist in the transition period between Gothic and Renaissance art styles, and he created the woodcut "The Passion of Christ" for the Notre Dame Church in Florence in his early days. Although this painting has bold innovations in composition and color, it still belongs to the late Gothic painting art. In addition, Gothic art is also manifested in the production of sacred bone boxes and communion boxes popular in the Middle Ages, the carving of gold and silver jewelry, and the tapestry patterns and book illustrations of religious content.