2. Islamic Art
Refers to art and architecture created:
• By Muslims artists
• For a Muslim patron
• For use in Islamic faith
It is not an art specific to a religion but to a culture.
Common elements but great diversity in Islamic
practices.
5. 3 Monotheist Religions
Judaism Christianity
Sacred architecture
Synagogue Church
Book
Thorah
Bible:
Old Testament
New Testament
Founder
None
Jesus
6. 3 Monotheist Religion
Judaism Christianity Islam
Sacred architecture
Synagogue Church Mosque
Book
Thorah
Bible:
Old Testament
New Testament
Qur’an and Hadith
Founder
None Jesus (0-33) Mohammed /
Muhammad
(570-632)
8. Hijra
622
Beginning of the
Islamic calendar
Mohammed and his
follower leave Mecca
for Medina
9.
10. Koran (or Qur’an) and Hadith
Koran (“recitation” –collected revelations of Mohammed
Hadith – compilation of traditions
11.
12. Aniconism
• No mentionned in Koran or Hadith
• Fear of idolatry
• Suspicion against the creation of images of
living beings
• Absolute proscription against image of Gods,
depictions of Mohammed, Islamic prophets,
relatives of Mohammed
• Consequence: use of geometric or vegetal-inspired
patterns and calligraphy
30. Horseshoe arch
• Appeared for the 1st time in Cordoba (Great
Mosque)
31. Main architectural features for
Mosques
• 1st great Islamic building : Dome of the rock
• Hypostyle mosques (Kerouan and Còrdoba)
• Unified central core (Mosque of Suleyman I or
Selim II)
32. The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem,
7th century
Commemorates the
triumph of Islam in
Jerusalem, which
Muslims captured from
the Byzantines in 638.
41. Dome of the Rock
• 1st Mosque
• Built on a Jewish Mount sacred to Jewish and
Muslims (rock where Mohammed ascended to
heaven)
• Mosaics by Byzantine artists
• Influenced by centrally planned buildings (as
Santa Costanza)
• Dome is of gilded wood
46. 960
Great
Mosque,
Córdoba,
Spain,
originally
built 786-787
850
786-787
990
47. Great Mosque, Córdoba, Spain,
originally built 786-787
Horseshoe arches
Abd-al-Rahman established the Umayyad dynasty in Spain when he
escaped the Abbasid massacre of his clan.
56. Great Mosque, Córdoba, Spain, 8th-
10th century
• Double-arched columns
• Interior light and airy
• Horseshoe-shaped arches
• No central focus
• Complex dome over mirhab with elaborate
squinches
• Columns recycled from ancient Roman
structures
67. Sinan the Great, mosque of
Selim II, Edirne, Turkey, 1568-1575
Dome
taller than
Hagia Sofia
68.
69.
70.
71.
72. Sinan, Mosque of Selim II, Edirne,
1568-1575
• Extremely thin soaring minarets
• Abundant window space – light
• Decorative display of mosaic
• Inspired by Hagia Sophia
• Centrally planned building
• Dome set on a square, then set on an octogon
82. The Persian Prince
Humay meets the
Chinese Princess
Humayun in her
garden, 1430-40
83. Characteristic of Persian Manuscript
• Persian tradition: representation of Human
beings
• Shadowless world
• Richly decorated environment
• Intricate details and multicolored geometric
patterns
• Space divided into a series of flat planes
• Marriage of text and calligraphy
• Manipulation of perspective
84. Characteristics of Islamic Art
• Intellectual and refined art
• Decorative
• No strong emotions / No pathos
• Try to avoid images (but the Koran doesn’t
ban images)
85. Questions
Explain how the designs of the mosque varies
across the Islamic world with reference to two
examples. Despite the difference, what features
do mosques typically have in common?
86. Questions
Images of People are not allowed in Islamic
religious contexts, but mosque and other
religious building are lavishly decorated.
What artistic motifs and techniques are used
and why?
87. Questions
Select an Islamic structure that is influenced by
Roman or Byzantine architecture. Which forms
are borrowed?
Why and how, in their Islamic context, are they
transformed?
Notes de l'éditeur
Born in MeccaMessenger and prophet of God
622 – Mohammed and his follower have to leave Mecca fro Medina
Beginning of the Islamic calendar
At his Death, the caliph become the main ruler
Army conquested a large territory
Used to major conquests: Byzantine Empire and Persian
Koran –revealed word of gods
Hadith – compilation of tradition
Both – base of the Islamic law
Doesn’t ban images but strong tradition to not representSometimes floreal and animal decoration
Declaration of Faith : there is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his messenger
5 times a day facing Mecca
Division Sunni and Shiite
Competition with God
Double function: decorative and iconographic
Even noblemen had to have a good calligraphy.
Important artists
All media
Specific islamic
Continuity and repetition
In the entire Muslim word
All material
Unity is in multiplicity
Patterns seem to radiate from a central point although any point can be thought of as start
Importance of mathematicians
Complexity , taste for math and symmetry / Filosophy
Star / circles
From
Stalictics or
Typical for Islamic art
From squinches then only ornemental
Stom or plaster
Don’t need a mosque to pray
5 prayers / day
Square – Syria and Magreb
Polygonal in Egypt
Cylindrical in Turkey
Fes / Cairo / Istanbul
Often in wood
Sometimes stone or marble
// throne in ebony
Sultan Mosque in Cairo
Earliest mosque
Sacred stone for the 3 religions
Mosaics and marble
Dazzling/ Influence from Byzantine and Persian
Repeated motive tesselation in multiplicty there is unity
Calligraphy
Like Christian martyria
Domed wooden octagon
Column from Roman monuments
Mosaics by Byzantine artists
Adam was buried
Abraham nearly sacrificed Issac
Muhammad ascended to heaven
Temple of Jerusalem was located
Kairouan, Tunisia
Sud – Mecca – Prayer room
Model: Mohammed’s house
Muslims can pray everywhere
For Friday prayer
Lot of different typology according to the region
Built by caliph al-Mutawakkil
Ruins
Bigger mosque
Bricks -
Abd Al Rahman – 1st muslim ruler
Cordoba capital
Flexibility of the mosque
No centrality / no main axis
Reuse of roman column – short so double heights of horseshoe-shaped arches
Brick and stone
Double arches
Origininally wooden roofImpression of movement Sense of mystery
Dimly lit
SquinchesIntrigated geometric patterns
8 stone arches crisscrossed
Mozaic inspired mosaics with golden background
Calligraphy and arabesques
Arabesques (acanthus and split leaves)
Architect of the caliph
// Michelangelo
Centrally planned mosques / on a hill – Visual effect
1453 – Istanbul conquested by Ottoman Turks / Hagia Sofia – mosque
Ottoman Empire (until 1922)
Sinan, great architect
Influence of Hagia Sofia
Lot of domes but unity thanks to a square shape
Geometry and symmetry
Circle in square
Very thin and high minaret
Unity
Clear influence of Hagia Sofia and Byzantine architecture
Decoration / Light
Pendentive
Abundant window
Master piece
Last muslim city in Spain
1492 reconquested by the Catholic King
Nasrids sultans
Organic / Many courtyards / fountains…
Importance of water and courtyard for Islam
All around main rooms for guests
Water on the floor (4 river of paradise)
Fountain with colour
Lions represent
Incredible variety of patterns
Lot of light / open air
Honeycomb of stalactites that dangles from the ceiling
Abstracts pattern
Squinches
Higly sophisticated
Light is refracted
Highly sophisticated
Same motive reapeted / We don’t know the beginning nor the end
Importance for prayer
Rich heritage from Persia
Visual image of a litteray plot, rendering the reading more enjoyable
Influence of China
Importance of Persian manuscripts / miniature
Influence of China
Used as an illustration to the text
Look like a carpet
Fairy-tale world
No foreshortening / no shade / no light
No relation between the figures and the background
Beautiful dresses
Lot of details Flat planes
Marriage of text and images
Crowded composition
No Perspective