Islamic Art Online

Islamic Art

Historical Background:
The Prophet Mohammed was born in Arabia in 570 CE, at the height of the Byzantine Empire. A trader, married to a wealthy widow, he experiences a spiritual awakening in his early middle age, receiving the word of God (Quran) from the angel Gabriel. He begins preaching in Mecca, criticizing the wealthiest residents who benefit most from the pilgrimages made by pagan Arabs to visit the idols housed in the Kaaba, built by Abraham. He’s forced to flee from Mecca (flight known as the Hegira) and goes to Medina, where his preaching gathers followers. Becoming both a spiritual and temporal military leader, he gathers his forces and returns to conquer Mecca in the first Holy War, in the name of Allah. He preaches submission to God, equality of all before God, strict monotheism, obedience to God's requirements: prayers facing Mecca 5x/day, fasting during Ramadan, giving alms to the poor, pilgrimage to Mecca (if possible) once during lifetime, following dietary restrictions. Islam becomes the fastest-growing religion in world history.

5 Pillars of Islam
Declaration of Faith
Prayer (salat)
Zacat or Tithe
The Fast of Ramadan (9th month of the Islamic calendar)
Pilgrimage

Dedication of Faith
There is no god but God (Allah) and Muhammed is his Prophet
To become a Muslim one need only make this simple declaration of faith
Islam has absolute Monotheism
Mohammed transmits the direct word of God
Unlike Christ, Muhammed, while the perfect man is not divine – the preeminent role model

Prayer (Salat)
5 times a day (daybreak, noon, mid-afternoon, evening, sunset)
Alone or together, indoors or out
Preferable to pray with others, demonstrating brotherhood
Face Mecca when praying, toward the Kaaba (house of God believed to have been built by Abraham and Ismail)
Once a week on Friday, gather for the Sabbath at a mosque or Islamic center

Zakat or Tithe
Means “purification”
Individual and communal responsibility to care for the poor
Not veiwed as Charity; it is an obligation
Functions as a form of social security

The fast of Ramadan
Once a year in the 9th month of the Islamic calendar
Represents the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammed
IF health permits – abstain from food, drink and sexual activity from dawn to sunset
A discipline to stimulate religious reflection
Ends with a special feast (resembles Christmas with gifts, food, etc.)

Haji or the Pilgrimage
At least once in a lifetime (if able) to Mecca
Every year more than 2,000,000 make the journey to form a community of faith
Pilgrims wear simple clothing to symbolize purity
The Eid al-Adha occurs toward the end: The Feast of the Sacrifice

The Kaaba
an ancient stone structure that was built and re-built by prophets as a house of monotheistic worship
located inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
15 meters high and 10-12 meters wide.
an ancient, simple structure made of granite
serves as a focal and unifying point among the Muslim people
According to the Qur'an, the Ka'aba was built by the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael as a house of monotheistic worship

Islamic Architecture
Built to accommodate as many worshippers as possible in prostrate position: Communal Prayer
No elaborate ritual with a center of visual attention (like an altar)
Emphasizes horizontality as opposed to verticality (Christian Churches).
Roofed part held up by a combination of arches/columns called a hypostyle hall.
Worshipers face Mecca. Wall opposite entrance faces Mecca (quibla).
Quibla usually marked by a niche (often domed) called a mihrab.
Ornamentation prohibits use of graven images (no 3-D forms of humans or animals)
Decorations utilize patterns of:
1. Geometric figures
2. Intertwining plant forms
3. Calligraphy of Arabic quotations from Quran.
Exterior has at least one minaret, up which the muezzin climbs to call for prayer.

The Dome of the Rock
691

The Night Journey of Muhammad on His Steed, Buraq; leaf from a copy of the Bustan of Sacdi, dated 1514. From Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

Built on the site of the first Temple of Solomon
earliest still-extant Muslim structure
built by Caliph Abd al-Malik in 691
represents the Muslims' acquisition of a near-complete Romano-Byzantine architectural program
atypical Islamic religious structure
makes use of the pointed arch, which was later used in Romanesque churches

Islamic Art
Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
Houses the rock from which it is said Mohammed ascended to heaven
Octagonal plan
Inspired by centrally planned churches
Commanding view of the dome raised on a drum
Profusion of exterior and interior decoration
Calligraphy
Arabesque
Tessellation
Inspired by rounded Roman arches, but adding alternating striped stones

The Alhambra, 1338 - 1390

The Alhambra, Granada
Originally a military fortification
Later reconstructed as a palace
Slender columns set inside walls and abut window frames
Finely chiseled marble gives the effect of transparency
Marble cut in honeycomb pattern on ceiling
Stone inset in ceilings hangs like stalactites, and double sets of windows provide light
Small bubbling fountains provide relief
Canals pass water among the buildings
Calligraphy
Arabesque
Tessellation
Major emphasis on mathematics and symmetry

Escher's Sketch of the tessellations in Alhambra, Spain

Court of the Lions
Fountain surrounded by lions, demonstrating some secular use of animal forms.
Lion form derives from lamassu.
Lions are crudely carved, indicating infrequency with subject in art.
Poem carved in fountain rim describing how fierce the lions would be if not out of respect for the king.

Great Mosque, Córdoba, 786

Built by 'Abd al-Rahman I, who escaped from Syria to the Iberian Peninsula after his family was massacred by a rival political dynasty circa 750 by he Abassid revolt. Only surviving member of the Ummayyad dynasty. – 800 family members massacred at peace banquet
Consecrated as a Christian Cathedral in 1236 by Ferdinand III, king of Castille

Islamic Art
Great Mosque, Córdoba, begun in 786
An infinite sea of columns on the interior (columns harvested from existing Roman and Visigothic buildings.
Short columns (c. 9 feet) necessitated 2-tiered arches to raise ceiling and increase light.
Columns interlace with each other
Columns have capitals, but no bases
Arches are rounded, with alternating stripes (red brick and white marble)
Columns represent endless number of worshippers
All face the mihrab
Rich, varied visual effects & highly decorative

Hypostyle Hall in Cordoba

The Taj Mahal
1640 - 43

The Taj Mahal, Agra 1632-48
Burial place of Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to her 14th child
Enclosed by a large red sandstone wall to provide a focused view
Vast symbolic image of Islamic paradise
Symmetrical
Harmonious
Minarets act to balance the composition
Typical of Islamic architecture: one large central arch, framed by two smaller arches one above the other
Square plan with chamfered corners
Small kiosks around dome
Dome has an onion shape (ancestry in the Byzantine empire)
Intricate floral and geometric inlays
Calligraphy across façade and on interior

Great Mosque at Damascus, 705-711
The earliest Muslim building on a gigantic scale
Built inside the fortified outer enclosure of a Roman sanctuary
Had been a Christian church until caliph al-Walid I, demolished and used the material
The square corner towers are the earliest known minarets – became common feature on many mosques
Early interior decoration consisted of mosaics featuring landscapes and city scenes
Flat uniform patterning similar to textile design

Palace at Mshatta, 743
Square fortified palace
Note the sculpted façade which employs intricate plant forms and animals
Employs an arabesque pattern – forshadows the Islamic fascination with geometric interlacing which often dominates interior decoration
caliph Harun al-Rashid writes with Charlemagne
Destroyed by Mongol hordes in 1258

Great Mosque at Samarra, 850
Largest mosque in the world
Could have accomodated 100,000 people gathered for prayer
10 acres large
All that remains: exterior walls and 164’ high spiral minaret

Mosque of Ibn Tulun at Cairo, 877
Well preserved
New Muslim city near Memphis in Egypt
The earliest of Islamic buildings in Cairo which had a great impact on Medieval architecture in Europe
Aisled portico on the fourth wall contains several mihrabs (unusual)
Sharply pointed arches suported by massive bricks piers into whose corners are set little columns (columnettes) – used extensively in Christian churches in the Middle Ages
Vast spaces of courtyard and arcades produce an effect of spiritual granduer not to be seen until the Gothic churches.

The Great Mosque at Isfahan
15th - 18th centuries
Contains no less than 476 vaults, almost all domes
First of a new type with 4 iwans

The Madrasa of Sultan Hasan
14th Century

Mosque of Selim II, 1569
Ottoman Empire begins around 1300
Located in Edirne
After the fall of Constantinople
This mosque based on the model of St. Sophia, even though a little different
Does use flying buttresses adapted from Gothic architecture
Designed by the great Islamic architect Sinan who also worked extensively in Constantinople

Calligraphy
Topkapi Palace Museum

Islamic Painting
Human or animal figures of any kind theoretically banned
Generally in effect against large-scale representational art for public display
Ornate decorations on practical itmes (incense burners, cloth embroidery)
Heavy use in book illustration
Merging of outside/inside
No sense of true 3-D space

Development of Paper
A third important reason for the Golden Age was the establishment of a paper mill (factory) in Baghdad. Paper was first invented in China and then the Muslims learned how it was made. (Actually Chinese papermakers were taken prisoner and forced to teach their captors how to make paper) Soon paper replaced parchment (the skin of animals) and papyrus (a plant made into a kind of "paper" in ancient Egypt). The development of paper made it possible for a great many people to get books and learn from them. This was an important advance which affected education and scholarship.

Bahram Gur in the Green PavilionKhamsa.Tabriz, 1481

Suleyman the Magnificent as a young man" Semailname, Nakkas Osman 1579
Gentile Bellini "The Sultan Mehmet II" (1480) National Gallery, London

Socrates and his StudentsMukhtar al-Hikam wa-Mahasin al-Kalim ('Choice Maxims and Finest Sayings')by Al-Mubashshir.Syria, beginning of 13th century

http://www.scoop.it	815
http://www.amityarthistory.blogspot.com	593
http://amityarthistory.blogspot.com	113
http://icticon.posterous.com	4
http://translate.googleusercontent.com	3
http://www.slideshare.net	2

Islamic Art Online

by bassmanb on Nov 02, 2009

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

6 Embeds 1,530

Statistics

Islamic Art Online — Presentation Transcript