Islamic Art and Architecture Essay
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“Islamic Art and Architecture”
In this module you’ll be exposed to various regional styles of Islamic art and architecture from c. 950-1500 AD/CE.
Your basic discussion questions are:
how would you characterize the regional styles of this time period?
What are the basic differences between, for example, Islamic art and architecture produced in the western lands of the Islamic world and that produced in the eastern Islamic world?
Are these differences mainly visible in architecture or can they be discerned as well in the portable arts?
And finally, during this period is there anything coherent about Islamic style as a whole or is it really a conglomeration of regional styles and genres?
Islamic Art and Architecture
The contribution of the Muslim realm to a wide array of arts, sculpture and architecture is a discipline that dates back to ancient times. The art and architecture of Islam as a religious movement provides a glimpse of a rich heritage in culture and illustrates the significant role played in the advancement of knowledge. An analysis in the art and design of the Islam followers reveals that there is a lot of creativity and innovation in the entire process. There is a historical development and a chronology of events that is involved in explaining the art and architectural aspects within the Muslim culture. This revelation in history shows there is a high diversity in the expression of art since its inception until the contemporary period. This Islamic Art and Architecture Essay paper is an essay that provides a brief description of the art and architecture of Islam between the period 950 and 1500AD .
The regional styles of art and architecture within the time period of 950 and 1500AD in Islam were characterized by ceramic wares and unglazed objects (Erwin 2013, p. 21).
Items were mostly molded with the glaze of lead that was believed to be part of the Hellenistic tradition. However, the most famous and popular pieces of decorative arts were the lusterware fragments. The latter was used in the Islam culture and most of them were believed to originate from Egypt (Lu and Steinhardt 2007, p. 106) Islamic Art and Architecture Essay. In terms of architecture, the great mosque located in Al Qayrawan is one masterpiece that was developed using this art.
It has a lozenge like pattern on its exterior and a marbled pattern in the internal side that is also used to inscribe various verses of the Quran. There are a number of basic differences between the Islamic art and architecture in the western world and the eastern world. The Islamic art in the western region involves more of paintings and sculptures that act as the two most important forms of art (Sprochi 2009, p. 138).
Paintings and sculptures were mainly used to make Muslim images that were used for purposes of worship. This in comparison to the eastern area where encryption was the main form of art. There are also some differences that tend to be visible in the architectural aspect, whereas some of them can be discerned in the portable arts category. The period between 950 and 1500 AD is also characterized by calligraphy as a form of art that is also of prime value in the world of Islam (Speidel 2008, p. 96). The scripts and religious writing of Islam were written using calligraphy, which is a form of art that was meant to express the strength and the will of Allah (Speidel 2008, p. 96) Islamic Art and Architecture Essay.
At the same time, the Islamic architecture that was present during this period involved much use of traditional lines and aspects to develop a building or structure. Most of the architecture of Islam witnessed within this period comprised of elements such as the Umayyad caliphate, the Sassanid and byzantine architecture (Lu and Steinhardt 2007, p. 106). Conclusively, the art and architecture of the Islamic culture continues to be part of a great sensation in its own unique ways Islamic Art and Architecture Essay. Needless to say, the period between 950 and 1500 AD can be described to be a conglomeration of regional styles in art that continue to be celebrated in the world over.
References
Erwin, DB 2013, ‘The Mosque Project Collective Drawings’, Arts & Activities, 152, 5, pp. 20- 21, Professional Development Collection, EBSCOhost, viewed 9 June 2015.
Lu, P, & Steinhardt, P 2007, ‘Decagonal and Quasi-Crystalline Tilings in Medieval Islamic Architecture’, Science, 315, 5815, pp. 106-110, Professional Development Collection, EBSCOhost, viewed 9 June 2015.
Speidel, ND 2008, ‘Arts of the City Victorious: Islamic Art and Architecture in Fatimid North Africa and Egypt’, Library Journal, 133, 10, p. 95, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 9 June 2015
Sprochi, AK 2009, ‘The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture’, Library Journal, 134, 14, p. 138, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 9 June 2015 Islamic Art and Architecture Essay.
