From inside the Louvre Museum, looking out

The Louvre Museum offers tourists the quintessential Parisian experience. Built in the 12th century and having been the home to King Louis XIV, there are many years of history and Parisian pride that can be traced in the walls of one of the world's most famous museums. In addition to housing some of the most renowned paintings and sculptures, the Louvre itself (its buildings and architecture) offers glimpses of art and context about French life.

I was enthralled as I walked through the Louvre, not only with the artwork, but with the building structures. Inside each room I entered were moldings outlined in gold, preserved and seemingly untouched. And surprisingly, unnoticed.

I understand that people come to the Louvre Museum to see their favorite works of art in person, and sometimes even just to say they have been there. Others "bee line" straight to the Mona Lisa, although many of them probably leave feeling less than inspired after reaching over other cameras and dodging other people's pictures to see the smaller-than-expected painting.

Few, however, look up. Just one small glance in any number of the rooms I visited would reveal the beauty that is the Louvre. I was especially captured when I walked towards the Pavillon Mollien, which leads to the Italian sculptures. It was after looking up, however, that I had to stop and stare.

The ceiling of Pavillon Mollien is adorned with a painting titled, "Glory Crowning the Arts", by Charles- Louis Müller. There are sculptures placed in the corners representing "Painting by Ernest Hiolle, Sculpture by Duchoisel, Architecture by Justin Chrysostome Sanson and Engraving by Louis-Charles Janson" (Musée de Louvre). These creations were a part of Napoleon III's "Nouveau Louvre" plan and were completed in 1914, 57 years after the Pavillon Mollien building was completed on August 14, 1857.

Inside Pavillon Mollien — Inside Pavillon Mollien

Perhaps I am drawn to these details within the buildings because of my love for design and adornment. Contemporary interior design reuses and translates these immaculately executed and intricately detailed pieces of art into smaller scale additions to homes and businesses. We see crown moldings all around in home design, but never to this extent and beauty, so it is something to appreciate.

Other building additions have been equally recognized for their symbolism, if not always for their beauty. For example, in 1989, the 3 glass pyramids by architect, I.M. Pei were introduced as a hub for visitors of the museum. Now an instantly recognizable aspect of the Louvre, the pyramids were initially met with distaste and discontent from the Parisians who felt that the architecture did not create a cohesive look with the rest of the museum. As Paul Goldberger said in his article for The New York Times just days before the inauguration of the new pyramids, "the pyramid was at first bitterly denounced by many prominent people in the arts, who viewed it as an unwelcome intrusion of harsh modernism into the sacred precincts of Paris."

Looking out from within I.M Pei's triangle

Alas, it seems Parisians have been more welcoming the second time around, as the Islamic Galleries became the newest addition to the museum in 2012. Designed by Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti and described as "a scarf floating within the space," the wing holds over 17,000 works of art spanning 17 centuries and numerous civilizations.

Clearly, art is not limited to the walls and inside glass frameworks at the Louvre Museum. The buildings, with their vast architecture and incredible histories, are just as beautiful, memorable and important.

From the Islamic Galleries at the Musee du Louvre (Paris, France)

In his book, Covering Islam, author Edward Said argues that, “very little of the detail, the human density, the passion of Arab-Muslim life has entered the awareness of even those people whose profession it is to report the Islamic world.” He’s referring to the fact that there is a marginalized view of the Arab world, one that is often misrepresented and lacking of perspective.

I believe he is right. In the fall of 2012, I registered for a course titled, "Islam and the West," which focused on what Islam is, its teachings, and its relation to the rest of the world. I distinctly remember on the first day of class, our professor asked each one of us to describe what the west was. As a group of American students studying in a foreign country with a dense population of Muslims, we were naïve (and at times ignorant) about this faith, but could easily distinguish that there was Islam, and then there was something else; the “other”. Perhaps more learned behavior than instinctually, we all categorized the west as being different from Islam, despite considering our classroom environment (London) as being both the home to many Muslims and “western.” Herein lies the first dichotomy.

Even now, I can’t say I fully understand Islam. I went to a cultural center that doubled as a mosque and spoke to an Imam. I listened as my professor tried to explain the breadth of the religion and his personal experiences growing up Muslim. I can’t even verify the extent he knows Islam, because it is just that rich in history and context. I regard its complexity, and I can sometimes relate to people when they are reluctant to embrace what they don’t know. Furthermore, it oftentimes gets a bad reputation from the media in America.

And yet, I spent a weekend in Istanbul and repositioned Islam in my mind. I opened up to a new world, and experienced some of the most amazing architecture, art and hospitality that I have ever witnessed. I visited historical sights from hundreds of years ago, and instantly felt like I was in the presence of something greater than myself. And I walked into religious buildings that belonged to a different religion than my own and I understood their peace.

All of this said, I connected most with the art I saw on the walls of the buildings. The mosaic walls of the harem and its courtyard in Topkapi Palace took my breath away. Not only were they stunning, but they seemed perfect and continuous.

So when I went into the new Islamic Galleries at the Musee du Louvre in Paris, I was instantly attracted to the mosaic displays. Multiple columns of unique mosaics adorned the back wall of the downstairs gallery.

The plaque adjacent to the mosaic display said the following: (1560-1620) The heyday of Iznik and Kutahya wares; Large quantities of underglase painted ceramic tiles were produced in Iznik and Kutahya. They were intended for monuments erected by sultans and high officials, mainly in Istanbul. Designers attached to the palace would sometimes provide their models. Around 1555-1560 there appeared a red colour in slight relief obtained by an iron slip. This red was soon associated with emerald green. In mosques, mausoleums or rooms in a palace, walls could be fully tiled right up to the base of the vaults. In some religious buildings ceramic tiling adorned on the mihrab area, as well as the tops of windows and doors, as the tyrupana from Piyale Pasha Mosque.

In the Harem's Courtyard at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul | Adriana Anderson (center)

There are pieces in Islamic art that are just as, if not more, powerful than these mosaics. However, the history of the use of these mosaics is what I find really interesting. For example, the photo of myself is from the harem, where all the women associated with the sultan would live, including the mother of the sultan and the concubines she watched over, in addition to the sultan’s wives. Could you imagine having such beautiful mosaics adorn your walls? Mind you, these walls were extensive (upwards of 400 rooms in this particular harem). It is definitely a sight, whether you are looking at these blocks of mosaic walls in a museum, or an entire harem. The intricacies are incredible, the history is overwhelming, and it is just one example of how the unknown can be incredibly worthwhile.

The Art in Architecture

An Attempt to Understand Islam Through Art