Islamic Art :: essays research papers

Islamic ArtIslamic guile is perhaps the most accessible manifestation of a complex nuance that often seems enigmatic to outsiders. Through its brilliant use ofcolor and its splendid balance between design and form, Islamic art creates animmediate optic impact. Its besotted aesthetic appeal transcends distances in timeand space, as nearly as differences in language, culture, and creed. Islamic art not entirely invites a closer look but also beckons the viewer to learn more.The edge Islamic art may be confusing to slightly. It not only describes theart created specifically in the service of , but it also characterizes layperson artproduced in lands under Islamic rule or influence, some(prenominal) the artists or thepatrons religious affiliation. The frontier suggests an art unified in style andpurpose, and indeed there ar certain common features that distinguish the artsof all Islamic lands.1 Although this is a senior high schoolly dynamic art, which is often markedby stro ng regional characteristics as well as by significant influences from oppositecultures, it retains an overall coherence that is remarkable given its vastgeographic and laic boundaries. Of paramount concern to the developmentof this singular art is Islam itself, which fostered the creation of a distinctive visualculture with its own unique artistic language. calligraphy is the most importantand pervasive element in Islamic art. It has continuously been considered the noblestform of art because of its association with the , the Muslim holy book, which iswritten in Arabic. This preoccupation with beautiful writing extended to all artsincluding sacrilegious manuscripts inscriptions on palaces and those applied tometalwork, pottery, stone, glass, wood, and textiles and to non-Arabic-speakingpeoples within the Islamic commonwealth whose languages such as Persian,Turkish, and Urdu were written in the Arabic script. Another characteristic ofIslamic art is a preference for covering surfa ces with patterns composed ofgeometric or vegetational elements. Complex geometric designs, as well as intricatepatterns of vegetal ornament (such as the arabesque), create the impression ofunending repetition, which is believed by some to be an inducement tocontemplate the infinite nature of God. This type of nonrepresentationaldecoration may have been developed to such a high degree in Islamic artbecause of the absence of figural imagery, at least within a religious context.Contrary to a normal misconception, however, figural imagery is animportant aspect of Islamic art. Such images pop off primarily in secular andespecially courtly arts and face in a wide variety of media and in most periodsand places in which Islam flourished. It is important to note, nevertheless, that