Early Moorish Architecture In America

By the 6th century a Germanic tribe called the Visigoths, converts to Arian Christianity, had established themselves as the aristocratic elite. The Christians built many monumental basilica-plan churches. The Santa Maria de Quintanilla de las Vinas, Burgos, Spain and San Juan de Banos de Cerrato are two such churches that still remain today. In the beginning of the 8th century Islamic Muslims conquered Spain and ended Visigothic rule. They constructed militaristic and religious architecture including castles, watchtowers, rock castes, the Great Mosque, and the Red Palace. The remaining Christians adopted some of the Islamic styles and soon built upon a new style that ended up

Art is the expression of creative skills and imagination, through a visual medium such as painting or sculptures. Architectural is the art of designing and constriction of an object or a building. During Gilded Age the newly wealth citizens of America traced their ancestry and cultural heritage to the greater civilization and aristocracies of Europe. People spend months collecting and moving art and architecture from Europe to United States. During the Gilded Age, American architects created a different blending of style to their great houses which were initially influenced by European design. As a result of revolution, Ashcan school was introduced by a group of artists who were inspired by Robert henry. The artists believed in worthiness of immigrants and the working class life as artistic subject matter in art.

The Middle Ages, also known as the Medieval era, though scarred with a history of violence and war, has given the world some of the most marvelous and beautiful pieces of art, particularly in architecture. The Middle Ages is the name given to the time period from the late 5th century to the 15th century, particular to European history. The construction of these types of buildings was a constant for various cultures for a thousand years. They can be categorized into three phases; Pre-Romanesque, Romanesque and Gothic. The most important buildings during medieval times were religious, defensive and governmental or power related.

Early Britain was an era of take overs and violence , overall it was a time of darkness , but despite the darkness this Anglo-Saxon era was a time filled with a new culture and government . Anglo-Saxons came to Britain sometime during AD 425-450 and lasted until 1066 . When the Romans left Britain , new settlement began . With the new population in Britain , there was a need for housing too , the Anglo-Saxon architecture however , did not start until the mid-fifth century . Anglo-Saxon architecture is a different style than modern architecture .

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that evolved from Romanesque architecture and thrived in Europe during the High and Late Middle Ages. During the 13th and 14th centuries, Gothic architecture was known as opus modernum ("modern work") with the term Gothic first appearing during the latter part of the Renaissance. “The Gothic Cathedral was the unique product of an era of peace and widespread economic prosperity, deep spirituality, and extraordinary technological innovation.” (Kleiner 365) The Gothic style brought innovative new construction techniques that allowed churches and other buildings to reach great heights. The rib vault, flying buttress, and pointed (Gothic) arch were used as solutions to the problem of building a very tall structure while preserving as much natural light as possible. Light streamed through stained-glass window panels which became illuminated visual sermons of biblical stories. Gothic Cathedrals were considered by clergy and the public as “glorious images of the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, which they were privileged to build on earth. There were simultaneous developments in Gothic architecture in the major regions of France, England, and the Holy Roman Empire.

The American Georgian style ruled American design from about 1714 to 1830. The Georgian style was inspired by English and European styles of the time, relied on classical elements, and took inspiration from the Italian Renaissance. Georgian design was located mainly along the eastern seaboard, where “the old styles gradually gave way to the Georgian, and there came for the first time a large degree of uniformity to American architecture” (Wertenbaker, 1943, p. 66). Craftsmanship was a big part of early American life, and people liked to show off their quality homes, eventually displaying their stations by “maintaining codes of dress, speech, and behavior” (Architectural Style Guide). Georgian American design had many different influences while adapting to suit the settlers needs. There are several beautiful examples of this style still intact today.

The inside is entirely covered in gold leaf, celebrating the Moorish style of forgoing human forms for geographic symmetry. Built by the Spanish shortly after they took power, the walls also have indigenous symbols, used to attract locals to come to church.

In particular, the researcher examines how the architectural program reflect the needs of the cultures that utilized it, the features that distinctly represent it, features borrowed from other cultures, and how these architectures fit into

"PHMC Pennsylvania German Traditional 1700 - 1870." PHMC Pennsylvania Architectural Field Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 April

Gothic architecture a new style developing from an old style of architecture with similar characteristics and in a way different. Architects wanted to build bigger buildings with stronger walls something that could not be found elsewhere. The old buildings did not have windows they were dark places that in order to get light they needed many candles. Not even the candles could give the right amount of light the buildings needed. The middle ages architects wanted big windows on the buildings and this new style made their wish come true. Architecture during the Middle Ages became a new style with new problems to solve and a new kind of extraordinary buildings to build.

At a point in history a lot of moors occupied a great portion of Spain and they created some beautiful architecture with a Spanish twist to it which includes the great mosque of Cordoba which has a church embedded in it. Throughout history the Spanish architecture has been shaped by the changing trends in Europe. In the start of the 12th century the gothic style was introduced which greatly influenced the styles in the buildings like the cathedral of Toledo, Burgos and Leon. The renaissance trend in Europe greatly influenced the Spanish architecture. Spanish architectures were not just about buildings they were also a means of communication. Each architecture that was created reflected the community’s values, pursuits and culture. Each Spanish building erected showed the dominance of a cultural group in the community and the geographical area it was erected in showed the extent of their power and dominance. Such buildings often bore an identifying sign for example the sign of a church was different from that of a mosque. The church’s sign was significantly that of a cross while that of a mosque bore that of a crescent moon and a star and it signified the significance or dominance of a religious group or cultural group in that area. The middle ages were an exciting period in the history of Spanish architecture and it was at that time there was the entrance of the moors which means Muslim in Spanish. And there was a clash between Muslims and Christians in that time of history. At that time the Christians and Muslims emerged their cultures together to form the Mozarabic architecture. It was not uncommon to see a church being converted to a mosque and vice versa. The great church of Cordoba with a church embedded in it was a good opportunity to see how Christians and Muslims saw their relationship with

Known for its pointed arches, flying buttresses, and detailed tracery, Gothic architecture emerged in 12th-century northern France, and the style continued into the 16th century . Gothic architecture was called, Opus Francigenum ("French work"), during the time. The term Gothic, first appearing during the late part of the Renaissance period. Gothic Architecture is wonderful on its own, how detailed, and ornate a concrete building can be finished with colorful stained-glass windows. The famous architects helped to create these building masterpieces of the century, and that became popular in other countries around the world, and still today. One of the towering achievements in the world architecture, the unique product of an era of peace, and widespread economic prosperity, deep spiritually, and extraordinary technological innovations.

Throughout the centuries artists create styles and elements that are greatly iconic and symbolic, they are later adopted by the artists of future generations. Architecture is certainly no exception, as past architectural techniques, styles, and elements are evident in many aspects of modern architecture. This is evident even around the Denver Metro area, where architectural influences date back to Medieval Europe, where the traditional art and sculpture was dramatic, detailed, and religiously symbolic in it’s visual nature. There are buildings around the Denver Downtown area that specifically resemble that of the romanesque art style, an art style that was prevalent. As noted by the course textbook, the term “romanesque” is utilized to describe medieval European architecture. Romanesque art is distinctive and memorable due to the nature of its technique and its style varied based on the region of the church. Romanesque architecture consists of a symmetrical floor plan, with the podium usually in the back of the church surrounded by a circular walls or rectangular walls going in a circular motion around the podium area. Other common elements of romanesque art includes that of stainless windows, buttresses, and decorated domes. Since Gothic art evolved from the romanesque art technique, there are few differences, however, Gothic Art often differs in scale and includes flying buttresses. In Denver, the same art styles can be seen in various buildings around the downtown area.

This essay focuses on the development of hybrid colonial architecture in early 20th century in Southeast Asia. The essay investigates the different styles of buildings in different locations and explains how these types of architecture combined both European and local origins. It explains the Dutch style in Indonesia and the British style in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia while giving an example building to these styles.

Qur’anic inscriptions in Islamic art and architecture are common use to honor the words of God. These features not only illustrate the direct relationship between Allah and the Muslims, but they also represent a set of rules that seek to unify different religious groups under Islamic caliphate and design a reminder for citizens to pass on Islamic traditions to future generations. This set of rules defines the authoritarian importance of Islamic law disapproval of iconography of any kind. The Qur’an is believed to be used as reference in every public monument and object because it glorifies the words of Allah and keep alive the Islamic faith. The decoration of these buildings with quotations from the Qu’ran makes the poetry to be beautiful and thus proof of its divine origin. In this document, I will study the use of Qur 'anic engravings in Islamic art and architecture such as the Dome of the Rock, Umayyad aniconic coins, and Tiraz textiles to illustrate the importance of the sacred passages in Islamic world. I will demonstrate how these carvings not only represent purity, convey glory, and preserve the words of God that were recited orally until the death of Prophet Muhammad at the end of the 7th century, but also hint historians about the importance of the existence and historical context of these buildings and objects by providing significant details on its date and place of manufacture.