How Is Ottoman Art Similar to Earlier Islamic Art? Answerscom

This postal service is part of a series called A Beginner's Guide to Art History.

Welcome back to our series on art history! From the lands of Ancient Rome, we now journey onward to experience the world of Byzantine and Islamic art. Allow'southward meet how history significantly afflicted the art of this time.

Byzantine art mosaic from the ceiling of St. Mark's Basilica. Prototype by Wolfgang Moroder.

The Birth of a New Empire

Emerging from the depths of the Roman turn down, the Byzantine Empire flourished with the emperor Constantine the Great leading the manner in an accomplished religious land. After renaming the capital of his new imperial home in his honor, Constantine decorated the urban center with elaborate Greek statues, exquisite gilt and marble fine art, and cute mosaics to glorify the Christian organized religion.

Byzantine diptych leaf with archangel from Constantinople.

The empire persevered until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, when Ottoman Turks, led past Mehmed the Conqueror, took over the once keen capital. Its legacy in fine art remained, notwithstanding, as many states in Eastern Europe continued to preserve its illustrious culture.

Byzantine art is divided into iv distinct periods, with strong influence from its Christian religion and the Byzantines' existing appreciation of traditional Roman art.

Byzantine'south Influence on Islamic Art

Like many cultures before it, the Byzantine Empire continued its reign, and then to speak, as a major influencer in the areas of art and architecture long after its fall. Islamic territories, for example, adopted a wide range of styles and incorporated elaborate mosaics on the walls of each structure, created from the hands of Christian artists.

Let's take a expect at its prominent influence in the post-obit areas of art.

Architecture

1 of the nearly notable areas where Byzantium'southward legacy remained was its influence on architecture.

Following the capture of the Byzantine Empire, the Ottomans incorporated its architectural elements and fashion into their structures, including the conversion of a traditional basilica, or Christian church, into their own distinguished mosque.

Most widely known for its heavy European stylistic influences is the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine built with like measurements to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre located in Jerusalem.

Dome of the Rock. Image by Chris Flook.

It's embellished with rich, gold mosaics that glitter with scenes of Islamic iconography. The dear shrine also incorporates an octagonal construction oft credible in Byzantine architecture.

Impressed by the intricate details found in Christian mosaics, the reigning Muslim invaders were fully content with allowing their Christian counterparts to take a more than hands-on arroyo to art at this time. This meant that some of the unique structures erected during this flow were really built by Christians using traditional Byzantine styles.

The Suleiman Mosque, modeled subsequently Byzantine architecture.

Mosaics and Tiling

Inspired past the divinely created mosaics adorning the walls of classic Christian architecture, mosaics became another prominent fine art that transitioned into Islamic territory.

Islamic mosaics adorning the Dome of the Rock. Image by Godot.

Ane of the major differences between Byzantine and Islamic mosaics, however, was that beautiful scenes were often created without the utilize of human figures in Islamic art. This style, derived from this early era, would later encompass a new creative method of glazing brightly colored tiles for the interiors and exteriors of domed-shaped mosques.

Some mosaic-like tiles were laid out in a iii-dimensional relief, decorated with single colors that were placed in an abstract geometric pattern. This method of tiled mosaics lasted for many years all the way upward until the Mughal Empire, when the Mughals replaced this art in favor of decorations with semi-precious stones.

Close up Islamic mosaic taken at the Friday Mosque of Herat. Image by Artacoana.

Rugs and Carpets

Another of import fine art form that tin can not go without mention is the beautiful work of Oriental rugs and carpets used in everyday life, from traditional prayer rugs to cushions and flooring coverings.

An antiquarian Persian carpet. Prototype by Nazmiyal.

Using an art form deeply embedded in Islamic societies, carpet weavers produced beautiful, intricately made designs using directly lines and edges. They too incorporated the flowing loops and curves of the arabesque (the Islamic ornamental way) into many of their designs to celebrate their Islamic heritage, and these would later go a major feature in this unique style.

Before Islamic rugs were also greatly influenced by the styles of nearby regions and the increasing demand for prestigious carpets commissioned by European royalty.

Pictured here is a detailed view of the Mantes Farsi carpet.

Ceramics

Lastly, ceramics played a huge role in the 24-hour interval-to-mean solar day happenings of Islamic art. Though earlier forms went without glaze, it is reported that the first incorporation of glazing techniques dated all the way dorsum to the eighth century.

Pictured here is an Albarello, a medicinal jar with roots in the Middle Due east.

Islamic pottery is heavily influenced past Chinese ceramics. With shapes and decorative motifs crossing over into their own styles, Islamic artists profoundly admired their intricate designs.

They would continue to create ceramics post-obit the methods of the Chinese until the Hispano-Moresque way emerged, which mixed Islamic and European elements together. It also produced new methods for creating these ceramics, involving an opaque, white tin can-glaze, and painting with metal lusters.

An case of the Iznik-glazed pottery technique used widely in the 16th century. Image past Deror Avi.

So you see, although initially influenced heavily by the art of the Byzantine empire, Islamic art continued to evolve, incorporating the styles of many more regions and cultures into its designs.

Conclusion

All throughout history, when one empire declines, another emerges victoriously. And with each new empire birthed from the ashes of the fallen, art becomes an important marker for the illustrious history and civilization of its fourth dimension.

For more than wondrous tales of Byzantine and Islamic fine art history, swoop into the links beneath for further reading. And join me next month when we discuss the beautiful art from the enigmatic Asian region.

• Byzantine Art (Oxford History of Art)
  
• Byzantine Fine art and Diplomacy in an Historic period of Decline
  
• Art of the Byzantine Era (World of Art)
• Islamic Arts (Art & Ideas)
• Islamic Fine art
  
• Islamic Design: A Genius for Geometry
  

The post-obit sources were also included in this article:

• Wikipedia: Byzantine Art
  
• Wikipedia: Islamic Art
  
• Mosaic Matters: Islam and Byzantium
• Scholastic: Byzantine Art
• Met Museum: Byzantine Art Nether Islam

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Source: https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/history-of-art-islamic-and-byzantine--cms-27622

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