Art in Architecture: Christian Churches and Muslim Mosques
As religions developed throughout the centuries, different architectural styles were used along with artistic ideas. The two videos this writer watched from the Age of Faith series were Christianity, and Islam. In the video describing the Christian churches and there construction overtime, there are very similar elements to each one that was built. Main points are naves which symbolized the middle of these great structures. Everyone shown also had significant stained glass windows that depicted some sort of story of life. These churches were not all the same though. Some had Roman influence, others were made with Gothic themes in mind. The difference mostly is the shape of the arches. Gothic arches are pointed while the other style is curved. Based on the time and place, each of these churches were built differently. One in Italy is not the same as one in France. From the video, one church that was much different from the rest was the Chapel of the Dominican Sisters. It had a more modern look with square walls and no significant stone work. The stained glass does not depict a story of human or God like figures, but of vegetation. The murals on the walls told a story, but were not of the same style as those in the San Vitale. In the San Vitale, you see two cultures come together, Greek with Roman and Byzantines. The Greek murals showed emotion while the Byzantines were all for not depicting such feelings. The ideas from this video relate back to textbook readings. Church plans were discussed, which describes main focal points of each building such as the nave, which every church would have. The readings also talk about Gothic architecture and how it was more of a pointed style, and was developed because it helped to relieve certain stresses on the church structures. The textbook also discusses Romanesque style based on Roman times. The Durham Cathedral is seen as a Romanesque style due to its curved arches and influence from Constantinople.
In the video for Islam Mosques, the main points to note were that the beautiful structures ranged from grand to modest. Some were decorated with much jewels and mosaics, while others were not. What was interesting was that columns were placed throughout the Mosques so that individuals can not see each other or the Imam when they are praying. They do not need to see the Imam because they already have a direct connection with their God. This is much different from churches where everyone can see each other in the assembly. What is also different from Christian structures is the artistic representation. In the Mosques, there are no figurative representations. Men can only do a bad job copying what God has created, so the art within the mosques are meant to be beautiful and distinctive. This video discusses idea from the textbooks readings about how every Mosque has important areas such as a courtyard, mihrab, minbar, minaret, and qubba. The courtyard allows area for many to worship and pray. The tower is important because it was added to allow for prayer and worship to be heard more easily. Similar to the readings, the video also discusses which way individuals must face to Mecca. The structures provide light into the Mosque to point to which way individuals must face during prayer.
This writer chose the two above videos for this discussion because the architecture is different, but also the same. Like previously noted, both religions took from Roman influence, yet how art within the spaces are depicted are much different. Christians like to showcase emotions and stories while those who built the mosques did not want to depict figurative ideas because they believed only God can create such things.
This information was interesting to learn because religion has affected art greatly. Between even Christian and Muslim traditions, the differences can be seen. Even the time and place has an affect on how art is constructed. This solidifies the idea that culture determines how their art is represented and also shows where the influence for their art came from. Many ideas date back to the Roman Empire.
In the video for Islam Mosques, the main points to note were that the beautiful structures ranged from grand to modest. Some were decorated with much jewels and mosaics, while others were not. What was interesting was that columns were placed throughout the Mosques so that individuals can not see each other or the Imam when they are praying. They do not need to see the Imam because they already have a direct connection with their God. This is much different from churches where everyone can see each other in the assembly. What is also different from Christian structures is the artistic representation. In the Mosques, there are no figurative representations. Men can only do a bad job copying what God has created, so the art within the mosques are meant to be beautiful and distinctive. This video discusses idea from the textbooks readings about how every Mosque has important areas such as a courtyard, mihrab, minbar, minaret, and qubba. The courtyard allows area for many to worship and pray. The tower is important because it was added to allow for prayer and worship to be heard more easily. Similar to the readings, the video also discusses which way individuals must face to Mecca. The structures provide light into the Mosque to point to which way individuals must face during prayer.
This writer chose the two above videos for this discussion because the architecture is different, but also the same. Like previously noted, both religions took from Roman influence, yet how art within the spaces are depicted are much different. Christians like to showcase emotions and stories while those who built the mosques did not want to depict figurative ideas because they believed only God can create such things.
This information was interesting to learn because religion has affected art greatly. Between even Christian and Muslim traditions, the differences can be seen. Even the time and place has an affect on how art is constructed. This solidifies the idea that culture determines how their art is represented and also shows where the influence for their art came from. Many ideas date back to the Roman Empire.
Comments
Post a Comment