Islamic ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Islamic ART - Essay Example One of the fundamental features of Islamic art that sets the tone for the bulk of the collection (though the objects on display are not all Islamic, with also Christian cultures like Egyptian Copts being represented) is the tendency for aniconism, which means unacceptability of images featuring God (for Islam doesn’t actually have a clear visual representation of the latter), human beings or animals. Since the dawn of Islam, the God was perceived as a â€Å"great shaper†, i.e. the only one entitled to endow shape to living beings; thus, the person painting the latter literally encroached divine powers of the God (___). Given strong aniconistic tendencies, Islamic art had another focal features contributing to its authentic nature: these are lavish use ornamentation – predominantly geometric elements and various floral ornaments – and extensive use of Islamic calligraphy. As the objects of art show us, calligraphy is not only a purely practical phenomenon, but also a peculiar Islamic art, a significant cultural attribute of Islam playing an essential role in artistic representations of Islamic culture throughout history. Probably, calligraphy is what would definitely help distinguish an Islamic art object from others, along with orations and lavishness in adornment. This field of Islamic art formed on the basis of Qur’an copying and is therefore the seminal and inseparable part of Islam itself; moreover, Arabic is considered sacred, for it is the language of the Qur’an revelation to the Prophet and is the means for preservation and communication of the message of God. First used for religious purposes only, it later transformed into art and became an integral part of visual art. The Met exhibition features an enormous number of Qur’an folios that were created in different periods beginning with the rule of Umayyads and later. Particularly, a good example of a Qur’an