Claire Horack
Block H
12/15/13
Byzantine Art vs. Islamic Art

There are many differences between Byzantine art and Islamic art. Some differences are how the subject is portrayed and the materials used to create the artwork.  Both the styles and designs contrast each other 

Many differences are very noticeable in both artistic style and the meaning of the art. The Islamic artwork was usually functional, beautiful, and was a pleasantry of life. It was often shown on the outside of buildings to reflect life. It usually depicted animals in a very abstract way that eventually influenced European art.  The materials used by the Muslims were mostly cedar wood, limestone, and sometimes gold. These materials provide different colors and textures in the patterns in the art. 

The main focus of art in the Byzantine empire was religion. Byzantine art was more for decoration of churches like in the Vatican. The paintings and mosaics covering the walls and ceilings depicted Christ, or other men like angels and God, in a very unrealistic way. The person was usually shown floating and was always shown in the center of the artwork. This caused the art to have no depth or perspective whatsoever. Gold was often used to highlight certain things in the background and in the subject itself, because the paintings and other art was all about splendor. 

Islamic Art:

 https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/image?q=tbn:ANd9GcQL2haGuesBkUIdyzRcUnWle_nXOFzK5n7NVvBtLwuF_cJhhIKpGw

Byzantine Art:

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/h2/h2_1998.69,1999.99.jpg

Citations : 

Brooks, S.. N.p.. Web. 15 Dec 2013. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/byza/hd_byza.htm>.

Kahera, Akel. N.p.. Web. 14 Dec 2013. <http://islamic-arts.org/2013/islamic-art-2/>.

Stewart, Desmond. Early Islam. New York: Times Inc., 1967. Print.