Nina Grigorian - Islamic and Byzantine Art

Just like many styles of visual art are, the artwork from the Islamic Civilization and the Byzantine Empire are based off of culture and religion. The Islamic Civilization had a culture with strong leaders but everything was based off of Allah, their God, and Muhammad, their last prophet. Religion impacted their life daily with a strict praying schedule and other things Muslims agreed to do under when they accepted the 5 Pillars to become a Muslim. Also being Muslim, it was considered disrespectful to portray life in artwork because it was said that only Allah could create life, therefore creating it meant you did not believe in him. The Byzantine Empire was traditionally calmer. They had strict rulers that wanted a lot from them, but let them have their own religious choices. Although their life was still very religious, they were able to live a life of without constant daily rituals. The biggest difference between how the artwork was sculpted was the role of religion and the culture in the lives of the people.

In the Islamic Civilization, art was incorporated into the people lifestyle for a more practical use, like this writing box. The outside of this writing box is covered in geometric patterns. Around the sides are rectangular boxes with a sideways diamond figure and circles surrounding them followed by a square with designs that looks like one large flower figure and smaller flowers around it. The top has one large circle with a covered up star and on either side is the same rectangular design that was on the sides of the box. Surrounding those are curvy lines all around to the edge of the top. This writing box is made out of many layers of different materials (such as bone) and put on a wood. The design itself is a popular design from the Islamic Civilization that started in the Ottoman Empire - geometric patterns. Patterns started being used on everything including furniture and ceilings. Away from geometric patterns, the top around the edges is curling vines representing motifs and a free writing style.

This ivory artwork with a design based on religion was very common in the Byzantine Empire, and even has a title for the style - the Dormition. The Virgin Mary is lying down while her soul is being given to heaven. The angels in heaven accept the baby, her soul, being presented to them by Jesus himself. There on the Virgin Mary’s sides are Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and the apostles. According to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, there are a few key differences between the different versions of the Dormition. While Christ is standing and holding the baby in this version, in others he is in a mandorla. There is also a varying number of apostles. Some have all twelve apostles, like this one, while they are also made with only eleven apostles - the other one said to be arriving until later.

Islamic Writing Box

The Dormition

A. How does religion and art blend to impact artwork in both the Islamic Civilization and the Byzantine Empire? (introduction)

        1. Engraved Doors

a. Paraphrase

        2. The Dormition

a. Paraphrase

B. The culture in the Islamic Civilization relies on the Religion.

        1. Culture in the Islamic Civilization

        2. Religion in the Islamic Civilization

C. In the Byzantine Empire, the harsh rulers formed the culture although the freedom and importance of religion never changed.

        1. Culture in the Byzantine Empire

        2. Religion in the Byzantine Empire

D. The styles of art were directly impacted by the religions and culture of each empire.

        1. Styles of art made

        2. How religion and culture affects art

E. Overall, religion and culture have the greatest impact on art styles and patterns in the Islamic and Byzantine empires.

Works Cited:

Stewart, Desmond. Early Islam. New York: Time, 1967. Print.

Khalili, Nasser D. Islamic Art and Culture: A Visual History. Woodstock: Overlook, 2006. Print.