Islamic art

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Islamic art is a broad term used for works of art, often created by Muslims for Muslim patrons, influenced by the Islamic cultures of the various Muslim countries. Such works include archetecture, paintings, caligraphy, pottery, and metalwork. The characteristics of Islamic art are often defined by the philosophies and spirit of Muslim traditions. Though the traditions that make up the techniques and philosophy of Islamic artworks are derived from Islamic ideas, works categorised as Islamic art are not necessarily religious in their use or significance; it is often the case that the themes of these works are entirely secular in nature.

Mediums of Islamic art

Islamic tilework of the Shrine of Hadhrat Masoumah, first built in the late 8th century.

Islamic art, a part of the Islamic studies, has throughout history been mainly abstract and decorative, portraying geometric, floral, Arabesque, and calligraphic designs. Unlike the strong tradition of portraying the human figure in Christian art, Islamic art typically does not include depictions of human beings. This is particularly true for early Arab Islamic art.The lack of portraiture is due to the fact that early Islam forbade the painting of human beings, including their Prophet Muhammad, as Muslims believe this tempts followers of the Prophet to idolatry. This prohibition against human beings or icons is called aniconism. Over the past two centuries, especially given increased contact with Western civilization, this prohibition has relaxed to the point where only the most orthodox Muslims oppose portraiture.

Islamic art is usually centered around Allah, and since Allah cannot be represented by imagery ["All you believe him to be, he is not"], geometric patterns are used. The patterns are similar to the Arabesque style, which also involves repeating geometric designs, but is not necessarily used to express ideals of order and nature.

Calligraphy

Forbidden to paint humans and taught to revere the Qur'an, Islamic artists developed Arabic calligraphy into an art form. Calligraphers have long drawn from the Qur'an or proverbs as art, using the flowing Arabic language to express the beauty they perceive in the verses of Qur'an.

Some examples of styles of Arabic calligraphy include:

Taliq/Nastaliq/Persian font

Turkish Diwani font

Turkish Celi Diwani (Al Jali) font

The study of Islamic art

Tripodic perfume burner - Louvre, Paris

Columbia University as well as Hunter College in New York offer Islamic Art History programs. George Washington University in Washington, DC offers an Islamic art program which focuses more on the spiritual aspect of Islamic art rather than the material.

See also

• Islamic pottery
• Arabesque
• Festival of Muslim Cultures

External links

• [Islamic Art Network - Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation]
• [Islamic Art and Spirituality by Seyyed Hossein Nasr - Fons Vitae books]
• [Islamic Art Review]
• [What is Islamic Art?] an article by Lucien de Guise
• [Contemporary Islamic Art] Contemporary Islamic Art

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