Gothic Art, Subculture & Gothicism

Gothic Art, Subculture & Gothicism

The purpose of the present text is to discuss Gothic artistic imagery. Gothic art is dark and sombre. Further, Goths and Emos are words used to describe crowds, or groups of people, who hang out together and share many of the same characteristics. For example, Goths dress predominantly in black (a good illustration are the Goth kids from the South Park animated series), while Emos harbor distinctive hairstyles.

Psychologists explain that a person’s personality gets shaped during the formative years, or from 16 to 24 years old. Still, persistent character traits are seen much earlier, during childhood. Further, social psychology theories suggest that by hanging together with like-minded others, teenagers (and people in other age categories) reinforce their own views and find approval for their chosen lifestyles, thus raising personal self-esteem. But, is it an illusion?

Gothic art – a vampire with light blue eyes and black hair. Image: © Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

Perhaps, since clothing, just as all exterior appearance, is only skin deep. Nonetheless, clothes and styles play an important role in the lives not only of youngsters, but of the population in general. For instance, even for occupations in which outfits play little to no role (e.g. an office clerk who works alone, or a laboratory assistant who not only works by her- or himself, but also wears a white coat) hiring professionals advise to dress in certain ways to secure employment at the interview.

Famous fashion designers include Coco Channel, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCarthy and Betsey Johnson, to name a few. Prestigious brands scope the range of Versace, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Cartier and others. Runway shows attract countless celebrities and journalists, and many stars endorse a particular brand. Additionally, numerous public personalities expanded their business skills into their own design undertaking (such as Madonna, Gwen Stefani and Sean Combs – P Diddy). Fashion design is a huge industry, involving many institutions of higher learning, manufacturing, modeling agencies, photography and the media.

Fashion design is art in many ways (i.e.: t-shirts and other garments get decorated). Image: © Megan Jorgensen.

The word “Gothic” may refer to several concepts. For instance, the word’s first appearance in history dates back to ancient Goths (Visigoths and Ostrogoths). Conversely, today “Goth” may refer to a fashion choice, and sometimes corresponding lifestyle, with festivals of the subculture taking place across the world, showing that it consists of much more than only wearing black clothing and intense eye-liner. Alternatively, Gothic is also a style of architecture, predominantly in Europe, and typical of religious heritage, such as churches and cathedrals. Finally, Gothic may likewise refer to a black and white photography style, as well as computer generated imagery (CGI) and/or fantasy art. Finally, Gothic can be coupled to other artistic styles and genres. For example, The Renaissance saw the emergence of Romanticism, with associated particular soft tones, colours and hues, which can then be combined with Gothicism, generating a mixed style, such as Gothic Romance. As such, some artists combined methods, such as hybrid images, incorporating both elements from 3D and 2D graphics. Therefore, the purpose of the present draft was to discuss Gothic style artwork.