The Formation of Islamic Art and the Amalgamation of Different Literature review

The Formation of Islamic Art and the Amalgamation of Different Cultural - Literature review Example â€Å"Arts of the Islamic World† and â€Å"Islamic art† are significant phrases which refer to the various artistic traditions which have flourished since the advent of Islam across a vast geographic area ranging from southern Spain and North Africa to the islands of Southeast Asia in the late seventh century. (Arts of the Islamic World 2008). One most relevant factor about the formation of Islamic art has been the influence of the varied culture of the world on its formation. â€Å"The cultural influences ranged from Byzantine (inherited when the Ottomans made Constantinople their capital in 1453) to Italian, French, Central Asian, Persian and Arab.† (Sajoo 2001, p. 16-18). There was also important influences from Roman architectural elements, Spanish mosaic decoration, Chinese ceramics, and Iraqi calligraphic styles in North Africa under the Fatimid dynasty. One of the most important elements of Islamic art has been its architecture consisting of a unique relig ious architecture which comprises the mosque (masjid), and the madrasa and a secular architecture including palaces, caravansaries, cities and the mausoleum. The Islam from the Arabian Peninsula had no native artistic traditions, but as it began to spread politically and socially, it also absorbed and adapted indigenous art styles. â€Å"Islamic art thus developed from many sources. Roman, Early Christian, and Byzantine styles were taken over in early Islamic architecture; the influence of Sassanian art—the architecture and decorative art of pre-Islamic Persia under the Sassanids—was of paramount significance.