Art in al-Andalus

1. Art in al-Andalus

2. In Middle Ages we will
study:
The Roman Arch for
Romanesque
And
The Pointed Arch in
Gothic

3. The Horseshoe Arch
Now in Islamic art
we will see:

4. The materials that they used were poor.
Plaster:
(yeso)
Ceramics:Bricks:
(ladrillos)
Nothing is eternal, only Allah
Remains

5. With these poor materials they were able to
create wonderful works of art with an exuberant
decoration:
They used the following types of decoration:
Geometrical Motifs
Calligraphic Motifs
Plant Motifs

6. Mosque of Cordoba

7. Mihrab (al-Hakam II)

9. Maqsura of al-Hakam II

10. Palace of Medina Azahara

12. Taifa Kingdoms
11th Century - Palacio de la Aljafería, Zaragoza

13. Interior of the Palace of Aljafería

14. Patio of the Palace of Aljafería

15. Almohads
Giralda de Sevilla, 12th century Torre del Oro, 13th century

16. Alhambra

17. Court of the Lions
“Patio de los Arrayanes”

18. Mocarabe Dome

19. El Generalife

20. • What is the name of a typical Islamic Arch?
– Horseshoe Arch
• The materials that they used were rich or poor?
– They were poor
• Is the decoration exuberant?
– Yes, It is
• Do they usually represent images of people or
animals?
– No, they don’t
• Why?
– Because it is forbidden by the Koran.

21. • What three types of decoration are there?
– Geometrical motifs
– Plant motifs (ataurique)
– Calligraphic motifs (cúfica o nasjí)
• What is the name of the typical Islamic Domes?
– Caliphal Domes, whose ribs (nervios) don’t meet in the
centre.