Discussion post
Respond to two classmates’ posts per bolded instructions and an image per response.
Class discussion: How does an artist create a visual experience that takes the viewer from mundane cares to otherworldly spiritualism? and Islamic aesthetics aim for just this kind of transcendent experience. The purpose of this exercise is to search for methods used by Byzantine and Islamic designers to evoke a sense of the divine, concentrating on examples from the 6th through the 10th centuries.
For this activity, search the Internet to find a sampling of Byzantine or Islamic architecture or interior decoration. Choose one, such as an interior or a specific mosaic, to research and introduce to the class. Analyze the work, considering how the designer attempted to connect the viewer to the sacred. Think primarily in terms of style qualities referring to specific details in your example.
Class post
If your example iByzantine s a figurative work, what are the abstracted style qualities? What is it about the image that veers from our optical perception of the world? How do figures invite us into their heavenly realm?
If your example is architectural, what is it about the structure that creates a mysterious ambiance? Does the exterior have the same dramatic appearance as the interior?
What materials are used, and how do they add to the effect?
