Islamic art

islam

  • also called muslim faith

  • founded by the prophet mohammad who live in todays saudi /metca in the 6/7 century

  • christianity is still in power

  • he recieved revelations from God, just like the prohets Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, and he wrote them down in the Quran

  • quran - the sacred text of muslim faith

  • mohammad preaches and unites the small population of the arabian peninsula by the time he dies

  • after mahammads death islam spread to: SubSaharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, Europe

  • the art is very diverse because it is not a single people making it, rather they are different regions, dynasties, and caliphates

art

  • refer to the traditions of the early local visual culture. islamic art incorporates this visual culture and that is why it is so diverse

  • adopt preexisting local visual culture

The Kaaba

  • the pivot of islam in the Majod al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

  • the most sacred site of islam

  • allah is the good of muslims - created the world in 7 days

  • 24/7 there is a ritual happening here

  • people walk around it in a circle 7 times to symbolize the. 7 days

  • then they kneel and pray listening to qurami sing

art/architecture

  • very diverse

commonalities

  • there are some common things about the art and architecture

  • muslim faith requires prayer five times a day (before the sun rises, noon, afternoon, sunset, night)

  • collective worship on friday (like mass) at a mosque

  • architecture needs to accomidate large congregations bcs of collective worship - this is why mosques are so big

  • prayers need to be directed toward Mecca (facing Mecca whilst praying) the birthplace of Mohammad - this will impact architecture

architecture of mosques

  • mosque seen as the quintessential symbol of islamic architecture, with a shared functional vocabulary of elements

  • the mihrab - niche indicating direction of prayer

  • minbar (pulpit) - is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (religious leader like priest) leads prayer/is above people

  • fountain - allows people to cleanse themselves

  • place where people stand/worship

secular architecture

  • not just mosque

  • palaces

  • bazars

  • homes

  • hospitals

  • fountains

  • gardens

  • they share sme aspects of mosque architecture and decoration but whic also reveal a broader aesthetic palette

figural reprentations

  • lots of people

  • sometimes animals

  • miniature paintings

  • in manuscripts

  • caligraphy

minor arts

  • the artistic traditions of the core islamic lands typically focus on objects often considered the “minor” handicrafts in the west

  • luster ceramic vessels and tiles

  • knotted carpets

  • brocaded textiles

  • enamled glass

  • the arts of the book - miniature paintings

  • painting

  • caligraphy

  • gardens

  • fountains

  • metalwork

artistic traditions of the core islamic lands

  • tendency to decorate every item around them - even bowls