Calligraphy in Islamic Culture and Art - Essay Example

Calligraphy in Islamic Culture and Art Introduction Visiting the galleries of Arab lands at the Metropolitan Museum, I had an opportunity to form a rather comprehensive image of Islamic culture in my mind, for the exhibition comprises both religious and secular objects representing the most peculiar and outstanding features of Islamic. What is remarkable about the collection is that it doesn’t include objects belonging to a sole country or nation; instead, the objects on display belong to different Muslim or Arabic countries, especially those that used to belong to the great caliphate. However, the viewer can trace certain common, or universal, features connecting the objects of art. 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 “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. Islamic calligraphy and its use 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 folio representing the early use of calligraphy is the folio of an unillustrated Qur’an manuscript dated approximately the 9th century1. The fragment of the manuscript thus was created during the Abbasids’ reign and, thereby, features one of the earliest calligraphic styles, Kufic writing, which supposedly appeared in the 8th century. The object signifies that at the earlier periods of Islam development, calligraphy served rather practical religious purposes, being bare of adornments and embellishments (the folio doesn’t include any decorations complementing the manuscript and is copied with help of ink and parchment). On the other hand, in the course of time, copies of Qur’an became characterized by lavish luxurious adornment and extensive use of gilding. The Folio from a Qur’an manuscript in Mayil script dated the Abbasid period2 features gold decorative elements and opaque watercolor instead of bare ink on parchment, though the folio isnt illustrated yet. Another example of decorated manuscripts seen during the visit to the Gallery is the Qur’an folio dated the 15th-16th century3, which is decorated with gilt. In addition, the folio is placed on the special Qur’an stand of the 14th century4, which clearly signifies the prestige of the religious scripture and calligraphy: in addition to being exquisitely decorated with carved ornaments on wood, the stand also features carved calligraphic inscriptions like ‘Allah’ and blessings. Therefore, we see that Islamic calligraphy spilt over the domain of somewhat ‘ascetic’ religious texts, being complemented by decorative elements. However, it would be reasonable to suppose that the extent, to which calligraphy in Qur’an folios was embellished with decorative elements, could vary depending on the status of the owner, too. The Talismanic scroll of the 10th century5 found in Egypt is an object presenting Kufic writing style and, of course, the Abbasids’ prosperity in terms of progress and inventions. Though Europe was unfamiliar with the technology of block printing at that time, Islamic people could already copy calligraphic works – i.e. prayers and incantations that served as amulets – with blocks rather than manually. It is obvious that the scroll was intended to be a thing of literally’ everyday use; that is why calligraphy is deprived of certain extraordinary artistic value. Calligraphy appears widely among the objects presented in the gallery, as its application wasn’t restricted by copying of Qur’an. In fact, the special trajectory of Islamic visual art development formed a peculiar type of ‘paintings’ out of the combination of calligraphic inscriptions citing poems and sophisticated decorative elements framing the former. For instance, one of the most impressing examples of the book’s page seen in the gallery is the page from an Anthology of Poetry by Sa`di and Hafiz6 dated the 15th century and comprising the perfectly arranged page of the poem framed by the decorative elements (ornaments) of gold on opaque blue background. Practical use of calligraphy Apart of appearing in the religious scriptures, scrolls and poem books, calligraphy might assume a form of art in the way it does in the bowl from Iran dated the 10th century7, as this object demonstrates how writing cam become ornament. The bowl is embellished by the advisory inscription arranged in the circle, yet the shape of the letters is modified in the way that makes the inscription look like an ornament. The same way of decoration with help of calligraphic inscription is observed in another similar object, a bowl dated the 9th century8, which is, in its turn, was made in Iraq. However, it is obvious that inscriptions serve a twofold purpose: both decoration and endowing a kind of spiritual, preaching or talismanic meaning to pottery (e.g. ewers with proverbs). This signifies widespread use of calligraphy not only in sacred and religious objects, but also its application in secular objects. The further modification of calligraphy is observed in numerous common objects with pseudoinscriptional design. Textile objects displayed in the gallery often feature calligraphy in the form of inscriptions, too. The fragment of fabric coming from Egyptian Islamic culture and dated the 10th century9 is marked by the name of the caliph, who was reigning at that time, Al-Radi of the Abbasids. Looking at the collection of the gallery, one could say that calligraphy as an important religious and artistic attribute appears rather widely, assuming different guises and undergoing modifications in presentation and writing styles: a wide range of Qur’an copies – either bare ink and parchment or lavishly decorated; pottery, where it can appear either in its traditional form or in modified pseudoinscriptions; books, where it appears in its primary function of transmitting the content of the poems or stories; or textile fragments. The period before the 12th century in Islamic calligraphy can be characterized by its wide use both in religious and secular objects, whereas museum objects dated the 13th century and later illustrate growing tendency for calligraphy’s use in architecture and interior, too. Calligraphic inscriptions combined with exquisite vegetal ornaments and geometric shapes’ interplay are seen in tiles, niches and mirrors. The cast bronze mirror of the 12th century coming from the Abbasidian Iran10 demonstrates the similar decoration pattern we have seen in the bowls of earlier centuries – the object bears calligraphic inscription arranged in the circle and expressing good wishes. Moreover, there are also Qur’anic inscriptions appearing in religious interior objects or tombstones, as it can be seen in the fragment of wooden minbar of the 12th century coming from Iran11 under the rule of Seljuqs. Considering the sacred nature of Islamic calligraphy, one could make a conclusion that such application of the latter bears a kind of protective function. Conculsion As we observe a wide range of Islamic art objects, we can see calligraphy widely applied throughout the history of Islamic culture. Popularization of the Qur’an and its intense copying at the dawn of Islam under the rule of the great dynasties of the Umayyads and Abbasids sparked vigorous development of calligraphy and its use in many spheres of life. However, even when used in secular everyday objects, Islamic calligraphy turned them into art and – at the same time – endowed them with spiritual meaning for the people across the caliphate and generally Arabic countries, which indicates high significance of it. Religious message communicated by this art of writing and the rule of aniconism might have motivated Islamic people to find another highly respectful and aesthetic way of praising the Prophet, and, therefore the written sources presented in the gallery literally pay tribute to religion with help of accuracy, sophistication and aesthetics of calligraphy. In considering this fact, it becomes obvious that calligraphy has the sacred meaning for Islamic art, life and culture, for the way it is used in various objects hints at the people’s belief in its protective power and talismanic nature in their everyday life, let alone religious activity (all religious objects are inevitable complemented by calligraphic inscriptions citing Qur’an, proverbs etc. In other words, calligraphy plays an enormous role in Islamic culture and can be encountered in all areas of life represented by the displayed objects. Moreover, the objects of art, literature and everyday use presented in the collection give us a clear hint at the twofold nature of this art of writing: except being a highly practical means for transmitting information, i.e. being used in its primary function, it also has a vast internal significance and sense, being not only practical but also powerful spiritual instrument building the bridge between art and religion. Works Cited The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Bowl with Arabic Inscription”, 10th century. Medium: earthenware; white slip with black-slip decoration under transparent glaze. 65.106.2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Bowl”, 9th century. Medium: Earthenware; painted in color on opaque white (tin) glaze. 63.16.2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Folio from a Quran Manuscript in Mayil ("Leaning") Script’”, late 8th–early 9th century. Medium: ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on parchment. 1979.201. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Folio from a Quran Manuscript”, 9th century. Medium: Ink on parchment. 40.164.1b. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Mirror”, 12th century, Iran. Medium: Bronze; cast, chased. 42.136. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Qur’an Manuscript”, 15th-16th century. Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Talismanic Scroll”, 11th century. Medium: Ink on paper; block-printed. 1978.546.32. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Textile Fragment with Inscription”, ca. 934–40. Medium: linen, silk; plain weave, tapestry weave. 29.179.5a. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Two elements from the minbar of Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad”, 1151. Medium: wood (teak); carved and painted. 34.150.2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sultan `Ali Mashhadi, Sadi and Hafiz, “Page of Calligraphy from an Anthology of Poetry by Sa`di and Hafiz”, late 15th century. Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper. 11.84.2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Zain(?) Hasan Sulaiman Isfahani, “Stand for a Quran Manuscript”, 1360. Medium: Wood (teak); carved, painted, and inlaid. 10.218. Read More