design analysis essay

1.a) The Great Mosque at Cordoba was produced by Islamic society.In this society, the design focus on geometry and abstract. In 785, the Umayyad conquerors began building the Cordoba mosque on the site of a Christian church built by the visigoths, the pre-Islamic rulers of Spain. In its old tradition of pre-Islamic(Tribal Arabian), the design was simple cubic or planar morphology in architecture. that’s because the culture of Islam arose in seventh-century Arabia, a land of desert oases with no cities of great size and sparsely inhabited by tribal nomads. Yet, under the leadership of its founder, the Prophet Muhammad and his successors, Islam spread rapidly throughout northern Africa, southern and eastern Europe, and into Asia, gaining territory and converts with astonishing speed. Because Islam encompassed geographical areas with a variety of long-established cultural traditions, and because it admitted diverse peoples among its converts, it absorbed and combined many different techniques and ideas about art and architecture. About the converts. Islam people was live in a harsh desert environment which the strict rules and discipline was born in this chaos of tribal life. as a new civilization of Islam, it has clear, simple, strict rules, and complete submission to an absolute. As they use in design of Cordoba mosque, the plan of Cordoba mosque has strictness order and the form has a abstract and infinite pattern in which their tradition interest, just like desert. The Arabesque is one of element to express the Islam culture. In Cordoba mosque or other mosque, we can see a lot of forms is imagined by plants. they believed that plant forms expressed oasis aspect of life. In the Islamic society, people usually use 2D to emphasis culture, and fabric is the key craft in this society (the fabric for people is essential thing for living in the desert) which is reflected the Cordoba mosque’s decorative surface. Depends on their new faith, they believed that the God is infinite, immaterial and cannot be shown in images. The Cordoba mosque is one of the aniconic design in Islam society. Islam also borrow or extends the ideas from the traditions of Judaism and Christianity to synthesize a new faith. The Cordoba is a great example as using a mixture of styles between the Islamic and Christian, in a style called Mudejar, numerous modifications took place in the mosque in order to be used as a cathedral.

Back to talk about The Great Mosque at Cordoba, in the design of Cordoba mosque, the outer surface was decorated with modules and infinite patterns. In interior, infinity curvilinear form with complex arabesque flat pattern represents more abstract way of Cordoba mosque and also show rich in imagery. As a design of theme, This building system was based on a series of arches and columns arranged in two rows. At the bottom are located some horseshoe arches, on which are superimposed semi-circular arches. This technique could give more height to the naves while allowing transparency and spatial communication between them. This system was based on the great Roman aqueducts and in the horseshoe arches,  typical of the Visigoths, but here in Cordoba achieved a unique combination. The pillars are decorated with corbels on their front. This mosque was built over a church, and many of the materials were recycled elements, it is possible to observe dissimilar capitals and columns. Its unique two-color pattern is due to the use of alternating voussoirs of brick and limestone. The ribbed dome over the central bay seems to float upon a web of crisscrossing arches, the complexity of the design reflecting the Islamic interest in mathematics and geometry, not purely as abstract concepts but as sources for artistic inspiration.

b) A similar structure to the Great Mosque at Cordoba. The Borgund Stave Church is one of representative timber architecture in Medieval Europe. In their tradition life, different than Islam culture, the environment in medieval Europe is varied and temperate which the environment for people is dynamic and feel more energy. As an advantage of environment, the environment really create a profusion of life to Christians. However, tribal European usually hunt and do some basic farm. And they also have plenty of wood, stone and mental to make weapon, tools or architecture. As a design theme from their environment are more focus on animal style, figure and organic form, vertical morphology in architecture. in the old tradition, because of the chaos of society, warrior tribes vying for territory, the society is unstable and instability in untamed wilderness , therefore, aggressive animals and wildly intertwined linear forms are typical, it expressed the wild, scary and organic aspects of life in field and forests. In the new civilization, most of people believed in the God’s son Christ who born in a human form. which mean the new culture is more focus on mysterious miracles, and the worship with christ. In the design, we can see linear forms as a tree reaching up toward sky, it also represents the nature which is design theme of organic form.

Unlike the Great Mosque at Cordoba, the Cordoba has cubic or planar morphology, but the Borgund Stave Church has sculpted, organic and vertical morphology, which are the mainly different in 2D and 3D. Islam more emphasized in 2D, in the other hand, Christian emphasized in 3D. the Borgund Stave Church has a complex institutional structure. It has four corner staves supporting the central roof, with additional interior posts that create the effect of a nave and side aisles, narthex, and choir. Steeply pitched roofs covered with wooden shingles protect the walls. Openwork timber stages set on the roof ridge create a tower and give the church a steep shape. On all the gables, we can see the church represents the animal style(dragon head) and iconic(cross) as a figure and organic representation. This is not only show that can protect church and its congregation from trolls and demons, but also show the power and dynamic of the God Christ that people’s new faith. The church also has Roman characteristics, The concepts of their theology which is transubstantiation was associated between Roman culture and Christianity, base on tribal Europe, the church has a systematic order and it had been emphasized on materiality which are wood and metal. The church was fused the environment and non-Roman traits, like wild decorative representation.

2. Through my observation from last four pictures, the first one(1phisari) and the second one(14jewelpg) are belong to Islam, the other two are belong to Christian. Base on new faith of Islam. Islam has clear, simple, strict in their design theme. From early culture tradition to new culture, new faith begins more orderly and peaceful the way of life. The first one and the second one are both have clear and strict ideas in these books. The design of Islam is focus on geometry and abstraction form. In the first book, the design is simple, clear with some infinite geometry form and modules. And the book also show the local alphabet. The arabesque as a plant form represents people celebrate oasis aspect of life. Islam use plant as a design element and turn it to 2D and abstract way to show the way of life. In the second book, it has infinite plants and geometry forms as part of Islamic design traits. Base on the Christianlty new faith. Christianity has less clear, less strict rules, they usually emphasized obedience to principles. The design traits were also fused Roman characteristics which are highly organized and dynamic. In their design theme, they are more focus on figural representation and organic form. in the third one has a complex and less strict layout. There are some figure used as a design element. This is different than Islam, Islamic design was aniconic which not allow to show human body. The forth one is a very strong complex design. Base on design theme of Christian, the linear forms are interlaced and very organized in design, and the big trait of Christian is using animal style in design. The animal interlace had shown in book. It may also use reference of figure as a design element in the book.