West Asian Arts and Crafts PDF

WEST ASIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS UNIT III – LESSON 2 IN ARTS (MAPEH)  West Asian Art Legacies  The art of West Asian can be dated by its earliest presence in the form of little stone or clay fertility figurines. By 7000 B.C.E., in the first little settled towns, mask...

WEST ASIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS UNIT III – LESSON 2 IN ARTS (MAPEH)  West Asian Art Legacies  The art of West Asian can be dated by its earliest presence in the form of little stone or clay fertility figurines. By 7000 B.C.E., in the first little settled towns, mask, pottery, and statue making has been part of their culture. Observe the different designs of lines on the pots on this side.  Duringthe Bronze Age, about 3000 B.C.E., the Sumerians were making much more intricate or very detailed statues. Due to lack of good stones in Mesopotamia and also with the Sumerian’s shortage of wood, they just made most of the clay as the main medium for their statues. This makes the Sumerian statues look different from that of the Egyptians. The Egyptians cut their statues from square blocks of stone that is why they tend to look square. The Sumerian statues were built up from lumps of clay so they tend to look round. Also lived in the southern part of what is now modern-day Iraq.  Mesopotamia = (from a Greek word meaning “between two rivers”) was an ancient region in the eastern Mediterranean bounded in the northeast by the Zagros Mountains and in the southeast by the Arabian Plateau, corresponding to today’s Iraq mostly, but also parts of modern- day Iran, Syria, and Turkey.  Assyrians = were an ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia.  Persian = is historically referred to some Iranian languages. Today, speakers of the western dialect of Persian form the majority of Iran.  Parthians = were a major political and cultural power in ancient Iran after the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great.  Sasanians = were the last pre-Islamic Persian empire, established in 224 C.E. by Ardeshir I, son of Papak, descendant of Sasan.  During 2500 B.C.E., the actual presentation of events happened in art, mainly war victories, which were set up in the temples to thank the gods for helping out and exhibit the power of the king and the gods. An example of this is the Stele of the Vultures.  During 1700 B.C.E., under the Babylonian rule, one can still see rounded West Asian forms despite the fact that these statues were made only with stones. After a period of chaos around 1000 B.C.E., the Assyrians became the biggest power in West Asia and they created many significant works of art. They also used their artworks to frighten their enemies.  Around 600 B.C.E., the Assyrian Empire collapsed. The Babylonians took over again. They wanted to exhibit how traditional they were, and how they were restoring the past, and so they went back to clay arts sculptures. This is made by joining molded clays bricks together and painting them in varied colors and creating pictures. The most famous is the Ishtar Gate.  ThePersian took over the Babylonians and brought with them some Assyrian art ideas and incorporated some Babylonian ones. Look closely how they did their clay sculptured relief.  Their art carvings also have the influence of the Greeks and East Asians. These are evident in their relief carvings.  Duringthe 200 C.E., the Parthians were taken over by the Sasanians, who continued artworks in the almost the same manner. Finally, the whole area was taken over by the Islamic empire in 600 C.E.  Iranian Arts and Crafts  The art heritage of Iran is undeniably one of the richest in the history of the world. It encompasses many disciplines like architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking, and stonemasonry. Even today, their sense of art is still vibrant. Persian Arts Persian Fabrics  Persian Rugs and Tapestry  The Persian art of rug weaving is embedded in the roots of their culture and customs. Weavers mixed elegant patterns with a number of varied colors. Their designs are similar to the Persian garden, full of flowers, birds, and beasts.  Their colors are usually made from wild flowers and have rich colors of burgundy, navy blue and accents of ivory. Their protofabrics are often washed in tea. This makes the texture of the rug softer, giving it a uniquely quality.  Persian Paintings  Many caves in Iran show painted imagery of animals and hunting scenes dating back to 5000 years ago. It was during the Qajar Era when coffee house painting emerged and exhibited with some combination of European style. Subjects of their paintings were often religious in nature depicting scenes from Shia epics and the like.  Persian Pottery and Ceramics A distinguished archeologist named Roman Ghirshman believes that the Persians’ taste and talent ca be seen through their designs of their earthenware. With the number of archeological sites and historic ruins of Iran, almost every single person can be found to have been filled at some point with earthenware of remarkable quality. The respect given by the Iranians to the art of pottery and potters are evident in Persian literature.  Persian Architecture Iran’sarchitecture is one with an outstandingly ancient Persian tradition and heritage. It is versatile, not overwhelming but dignified. It has magnificent and impressive features.  Saudi Arabian Art  The richness of arts and culture of Saudi Arabia has been shaped and rooted by its Islamic heritage, historical roles, and traditions. The society of Saudi Arabia has tremendous developments over these past decades. They have taken their values, customs, hospitality, even their manner of dressing, and adapted them to the modern world.  Saudi Arabian Architecture The first mosque of Islam was the house of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed in Medina. It is the prototype of all subsequent sacred Islamic architecture. In it are the most design – the floor and carpet that are touched in prayer with the head.  Saudi Arabian Visual Arts  The Wusums are the tribal symbols of the Bedouin (a semi-nomadic group), which are found to be a prehistoric art on rocks in the hills and deserts of Arabia. Here are some Wusum writings of the Ancient Arabian: Saudi Arabian Visual Arts  Turkish Art  Turkey us a parliament republic largely located in Western Asia and with some portions in the Southeastern part of Europe. The Turkish art refers to all works of visual arts originating from the geometrical area of what is present-day Turkey since the arrival of Turks in the Middle Ages.  The Turkish palaces, mosques, and mausoleums are highly influenced by the Ottoman styles of architectures with a touch of Islamic and European taste. They are decorated with colored tiles and their interior designs are done with sophistications of various patterns or motifs.  The Turks are also known for arts and crafts especially on decoration. They are known for pottery, carpets, and textiles. These are produced with highly standards of quality. Their metal works and carve wood works, and furniture have elaborative inlays and inspired with traditional arts like Ebru or paper marbling. Turkish Architecture Turkish Pottery and Ceramics Faience copy of the thirteenth century fresco “Last Supper” in the Dark Church, Goreme, Turkey. 16th Century Turkish Carpet 16th century paper marbling