Islamic calligraphy in the form of painting or sculptures is sometimes referred to as Quranic art. The various forms of traditional Arabic calligraphy and decoration of the manuscripts used for written versions of the Qur'an represent a central tradition of Islamic visual art.
What are Mashrabiya Patterns (Arabic Geometric Patterns)? The patterns of Mashrabiya were composed of simple geometric shapes, and often ewer or calligraphy designs from the Quran, because of the prohibition in the religion of Islam of the portrayal of any living being.
Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner to convey harmony, grace and beauty. The practice, which can be passed down through formal and informal education, uses the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet, written in cursive, from right to left.
Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (on the Iberian peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (part of the Maghreb).
Calligraphy is a very important art form in the Islamic world. The Qur'an, written in elegant scripts, represents Allah's—or God's—divine word, which Muhammad received directly from Allah during his visions. Quranic verses, executed in calligraphy, are found on many different forms of art and architecture.
Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art has focused on the depiction of patterns and Arabic calligraphy, rather than human or animal figures, because it is believed by many Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry and thereby a sin against God that is forbidden in the Qur'an.
Arabic calligraphy is considered the highest form of art in Islām. This writing transmits the words of God as recorded in the Qur'an, Islām's holy book.
What is the difference between Arab art and Islamic art?
'Arab,' 'Islamic', or 'Middle Eastern' art are all terms used interchangeably. Despite a wide variety of contemporary artistic practices in the region, artists from the Middle East are consistently labeled with ethnic and national markers.
Islamic art has always aimed to represent what is sacred through sound and sense – from the art of reciting the Qur'an, to poetry, to architecture, to calligraphy. Indeed, it is in Islamic calligraphy that we find a full expression of the conveyance of sacred meaning through the subtlety and grace of form.
The early developments of Islamic art were influenced by Roman art, Early Christian art (particularly Byzantine art), and Sassanian art, with later influences from Central Asian nomadic traditions. Chinese art had a significant influence on Islamic painting, pottery, and textiles.
There are many portable art forms in Saudi Arabia. For example, there is metalware, jewelry, pottery and leatherwork. Even today, many Bedouin women weave, and they make brightly colored striped rugs, camel trapping and tents. The tents are black and are made of goat-hair, mixed with sheep's wool and camel-hair.
Islamic art is a modern concept created by art historians in the 19th century to facilitate categorization and study of the material first produced under the Islamic peoples that emerged from Arabia in the seventh century.
Islamic art was influenced by Greek, Roman, early Christian, and Byzantine art styles, as well as the Sassanian art of pre-Islamic Persia. Central Asian styles were brought in with various nomadic incursions; and Chinese influences had a formative effect on Islamic painting, pottery, and textiles.
The term Islamic art not only describes the art created specifically in the service of the Muslim faith (for example, a mosque and its furnishings) but also characterizes the art and architecture historically produced in the lands ruled by Muslims, produced for Muslim patrons, or created by Muslim artists.
Islamic religious art differs from Christian religious art in that it is non-figural because many Muslims believe that the depiction of the human form is idolatry, and thereby a sin against God, forbidden in the Qur'an. Calligraphy and architectural elements are given important religious significance in Islamic art.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, the Islamic Empire greatly contributed to advancements in many fields; including literature, philosophy, science, medicine, mathematics, and art. This period is known as the Islamic Golden Age and lasted from 790-1258.
The English word "mosque" denotes a Muslim house of worship. The word evolved from the Arabic term masjid, which means "place of prostration." During prayer, Muslims briefly kneel and touch their foreheads to the ground as a sign of submission (literally, Islam) to the will of God.
As we learned, the arabesque was a design of curving line and interwoven elements like vines and leaves that repeated in an often symmetrical infinite pattern. It was created possibly around Baghdad by Islamic artists in the 11th century CE.
The use of patterns is part of the way that Islamic art represents nature and objects by their spiritual qualities, not their physical and material qualities. The repeated geometric patterns often make use of plant motifs, and these are called arabesques.
