Scholars date the beginnings of Gothic art to Abbot Suget's rebuilding of the royal Abbey Church of St. Dennis, near Paris. Suget wanted to make the church a draw for pilgrims and felt it must outshine all other churches. During the Romanesque era, churches were low, heavy-looking, wide and dark. Gothic architecture, as seen with St. Dennis, is the opposite. New construction methods developed during the rebuilding of St. Dennis allowed for tall, slim churches with large windows. Chartres Cathedral in France is another example of early Gothic architecture.
Like Romanesque churches, Gothic churches were in the shape of a cross. Instead of arches the Gothic churches depended on ribbed vaulting and buttressing. Ribbed vaulting was on the inside while buttresses were on the outside. This new method of weight distribution allowed the buildings to be taller and also architecturally sound. Four levels are in a Gothic church: the nave arcade, gallery, triforium and clerestory. An arcade consists of arches supported by columns. The gallery is above the side aisles. A level of arches makes up the triforium. In the top of the church walls is the clerestory, which is a row of windows.
Architects helped break up the heavy look of large walls by adding sculpture. While building Chartres Cathedral, artists carved long slim figures to fit on the church columns. A jamb statue on the south transept portal of this church shows the beginnings of what art history scholars call the "Gothic sway." The figure depicted is not stiff as in the Romanesque era, but shows signs of a natural stance with the hips thrust to one side. Figure sculptures of the early Gothic era took on an exaggerated "S" shape. This type of sculpture was best observed between 1200 and 1420.
Stained glass was already an art form when St. Dennis was built, and it was ideal for the new large churches with lots of windows. During the early Gothic period, stained glass replaced paintings as the most popular art form. While religious scenes and figures were depicted, the images were mostly flat and had little to no shaping or shadow. Artists were limited because glass could only be manufactured in small pieces. They soldered these pieces together with lead strips and painted on small details such as hair or faces. The large rose-shaped stained glass window is a distinct feature of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.