Islamic Art as a Means for Creative Self-Expression of Muslims - Book Report/Review Example

Islamic Art as a Means for Creative Self-expression of Muslims Introduction It is considered that religion and spirituality are expressed in culture through various artistic forms. In fact, any religion can be understood through art in which it finds expression. In particular, "the history of Christian spirituality cannot be divorced from its expression in painting, architecture, and other arts" (Ernst 182). Similarly, the Islamic culture can be analyzed by studying Islamic art, which is the epitome of creativity and implementation of Islamic religious ideas and attitudes. In this respect, it can be argued that Islamic art allows Muslims to realize their creative abilities and together with them to identify their religious and philosophical ideas. In general, Islamic art is focused on the image of the things, which can be regarded as embodying the perfect harmony of spiritual and material essences. In this regard, the Qur’an is the starting point of view because, according to the Quran and the traditions of preaching, "God is beautiful and loves beauty" (Ernst 182). A deep faith in their god Allah and the desire to embody the ideas of beauty as harmony that exists in the universe due to the will of Allah were and continue to be a powerful incentive for the Muslims in their creative self-realization. Historical and Geographical Background of Formation of Islamic art Islamic art can be defined the art of the peoples of the Muslim countries. In order to understand the characteristics of Islamic art and the forms of the creative self-realization of Muslims, it makes sense to pay attention to the historical and geographical factors that have influenced the development of Islamic art. In fact, spatial boundaries of the Islamic culture were connected with the basic areas of distribution of the actual Muslim faith. In its historical development, Islamic culture has undergone some changes, mostly wearing formal nature and not affecting its traditional foundations. One can identify several culture zones of the spread of Islamic culture (Ernst 183, 186, 188, 190): Arab Region (Middle East, Egypt, Spain), the Iranian zone (Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia), the Indo-Iranian zone (India, Pakistan), and the Indo-Malaysian area. Artistic image of the Islamic culture, along with a dominant Muslim basis, includes the features of the traditional art of pagan Arabian, North African and Central Asian tribes. In addition, the clash between Islam and other monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism) clearly reveals the influence of conceptual and aesthetic visual ideas of different religions and culture zones on the Islamic culture. I addition, in the history of Islamic culture one might point to the following coexisting and complementary components: 1) A "starter culture" of Arab conquerors who founded the Caliphate (starting with the Prophet Muhammad); 2) The artistic values ​​of the peoples and states, which were the object of Arab expansion and kept their artistic traditions and originality; 3) State projects in the field of the art of numerous successors of Arab caliphs, performing various artistic decisions (often for personal reasons, such as the Taj Mahal in Agra, India); 4) Adaptation to the religious and state momentum associated with Islam and the Arab-Turkic conquests, performed by many folk cultures of Europe, Asia and Africa, where Islam obtained supporters; 5) Spiritual resistance to the conquerors in the framework of general rules and principles of Islam (Persian, Tajik and other crops, the Sufi movement, etc.); 6) Synthetic artistic trends, folding on the basis of the interaction of the above trends. For example, Jewish tradition undoubtedly influenced the aesthetic ideas of Islam about the visual appearance of the person, while the ancient Iranian mythos and ritual tradition can be traced back to the most recent samples of Persian miniatures of the Islamic period. The reason for this may lie in the fact that “from the beginning… religious pluralism was a principle accepted as the basis for a Muslim society” (Ernst 89). It seems logical to consider the Islamic culture in the various areas of its distribution with one caveat - pointing to its ethno-cultural substrate, i.e., emphasizing the synthetic character of the art of culture zones, such as the Islamic culture of Iran, India, etc. Such an amazing synthesis defined a variety of artistic forms in Islam and gave Muslims are given to realize their creativity to the full extent. Genres and Features of Islamic Art In contradistinction to Christianity or Buddhism, Islamic culture, was fundamentally anti-cult. This, however, does not mean that in Islam there was no sacred art. The most expressive and honored with a religious point of view is the art of calligraphy and traditional appearance of the mosque, often clothed in a rich architectural form and decoration. The sacred significance of calligraphy and architectonics of the mosque comes from the dominant Muslim ideas about the material embodiment of the word. In Islamic culture, calligraphy is seen as a graphical reproduction of the will of Allah. This, in particular, explains the mandatory presence of quotations from the Qur’an in the mosque building. The mosque, in turn, is a place where the divine word receives its verbal embodiment. In the Quran, there are no prohibitions to depict living creatures. There is only a warning against idolatry. It should be noted that iconoclastic tendency of Islam affected the fate of the fine arts in the Arab countries, as well as in the Middle East. Islam denied the possibility of the image of the deity. Religious buildings were not allowed to put pictures of people. The Qur’an and other theological books were decorated only by ornament. However, in Islam originally there was no a ban on the depiction of living creatures, formulated as a religious law (Ernst 185). Only later, probably in the 9-10 centuries, the iconoclastic tendency of Islam has been used to prohibit certain categories of images. History has shown that these limitations, which left their mark on the development of certain types of art, was not followed always and everywhere (Ernst 185). They were important and strictly implemented only during special amplification of a religious reaction. Islam never allowed the possibility of a close resemblance between a man (or other earthly creature) and God. As a result, fine art was taken out of the religious life of a Muslim, remaining the property of mainly secular culture. Although the Qur’an did not forbid portraying people and animals, some hadith pointed out that Muhammad decried such artists. Giving the image a real form, the person seems to challenge God’s exclusive right to creativity, breaking the main position of Islam, arguing that any person should follow this rule: “Say: ‘I am forbidden to worship those whom you call upon other than God’” (The Qur’an, Cattle: 6.55). The tradition of the image is associated mainly with an illustration of the poetic, historical and scientific works. Essential for a full understanding of the meaning of images is their symbolic and allegorical imagery. The most stable and common pictorial tradition is the characteristic for the two culture zones of the Islamic Culture: Islamic art of Iran and India. In its formal (transfer of space and time and the reverse perspective) and semantic (symbolic and allegorical imagery) manifestations, Islamic culture is included in the total picture of typological medieval art of the East and the West. Islamic art is full of life and is rather peculiar. In contrast to the Christian art, Islamic art is not limited to Islamic religious works, and includes all the artistic traditions of Muslim culture. Strong aesthetic appeal of Islamic art transcends time and space, as well as differences in language and culture. All this was possible thanks to common features in all kinds of Islamic art, which gives it a remarkable consistency, regardless of time and place in which it was created. Nevertheless, one can observe strong regional characteristics and the influence of other cultures. Islamic art encompasses all art forms, not only religious. Islamic art seeks to portray not only the physical form, but also the meaning and essence of things. Crafts and applied arts are considered high-grade types of creativity, while painting and sculpture are not seen as the most majestic types of art. Calligraphy was a major art form since it “ideally suited to transmitting the word of God in a beautiful physical form” (Ernst 79). In Islam, the letter had a high status. Books are also one of the major art forms. No less significant artistic value belongs to geometric shapes and patterns. As it was previously mentioned, images of people are not popular. Islamic Art as a Source of Inspiration for Muslims In the Muslim world, art reflects Islamic cultural values​​ and shows how Muslims see the spiritual world and the universe. For Muslims, the reality begins and focuses on Allah. Allah is the center of religion and aspirations, as well as the meaning of life for Muslims. Therefore, Islamic art focuses on the spiritual representation of objects and living beings, not their physical qualities. Muslim artist does not seek to replicate exactly the essence, as it is, but is trying to convey what it represents. This allows the artist and those who admire the art, to become closer to Allah. For Muslims, beauty has always been and will remain a divine quality. Islamic art is a synthesis and a unique blend of different cultures. The result of this synthesis performs the main duty - it is the epitome of beauty. In Islam, the notion of perfect (i.e., pleasing to God) is identified with the perfection of form and the game of bright colors and shining light. Given that in most countries images of people, animals, and even plants are banned, Islamic ornaments and calligraphy became one of the most important ways for creative expression of Muslims. They have successfully helped to perform two basic tasks. First, they gave the Muslims the opportunity to demonstrate their creative skills. Muslim masters were required not only of professionalism, but also of originality. Each such work is the result of a unique talent of the artist, which was received by him/her from God and subsequently was developed through hard study and training. In addition, both ornamental art and calligraphy became a way for the expression of religious and philosophical positions of Muslims who saw them as the embodiment of universal beauty and harmony, which is stated by the Qur’an and the Qur’anic tradition. Words decorated by beautiful and mystical symbols, became a wonderful way for the symbolic presentation of ideological attitudes of the Islamic religion and culture. Islam has transformed geometry into an art form by constantly applying the principles of symmetry, proportion and scale to create amazing artistic effects. Given the wonderful harmony of all Islamic architectural structures it is not difficult to suppose that Islamic architects knew and used the spatial geometry. In addition to the mathematical calculation, each work of the Islamic art is characterized by a thin and delicate taste. That is why, even things having a utilitarian value - such as rugs or books - are beyond the scope of crafts or book graphics and become the works of high art. It should be clearly understood that the Quran plays a particularly important function in Islamic art. The Qur’an is a source of spiritual renewal and inspiration for Muslims. The Qur’an is not simply a religious book that was created by someone in former times. The Qur’an is a sacred text of Muslims, which is the key to understanding of Islamic culture and Islamic art. It should be understood that the origins of the Qur’an “lie in God himself and that the Qur’an acts as a focus for the faithful…central source of divine inspiration and guidance in all matters of life” (Siddiqui 2). Beauty and Islam are inextricably linked. Despite various religious restrictions and bans, Muslims have many opportunities for their creative self-realization, since much of the artistic work is not directly used in religious rituals, although it demonstrates a strong connection with religious themes of Islam. Islam recognizes beauty as an attribute of the divine will, which has a universal and comprehensive character. In Islamic art, beauty sends a message from God. Different forms of the Islamic art reflect the spiritual and celestial origin of Islam. In this religion, the art encourages the believer to go to the Lord. Creators draw their inspiration from Revelation and reside with it closely. Many artists and other creators are carefully studying the Qur’an in order to find there a hidden meaning. Often it is the Qur’an that becomes the starting point for new poems and sounds, words and rhymes. The Islamic art is born out of reflection on the life of the Prophet and the beauty of his soul. All this is an internal impulse for the development of the art in Islam. In the art of Islam, the great importance belongs to spirit of Revelation that pervades it. The existence of beauty is not possible without God’s existence. Muslim architects, painters and sculptors, as well as other artists have a deep sense of harmony and unity of the whole. Conclusion Islamic art allows Muslims to realize their creative potential. Despite various limitations and restrictions, in particular relating to images of animals and people, Islamic art can offer many opportunities for Muslims creativity. Islamic art can be seen as the result of mutual influence and synthesis of various cultures that defined the diversity of its genre and stylistic forms. This allows any Muslim to not only discover their creative potential, but also praise Allah that for Muslims is one of the most important task in life. Calligraphy and decorative painting perform the most important mission, because they realize not only people’s, but also Gods pursuit of beauty. Works Cited Ernst, Carl W. Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World. Chapel Hill & London: The University of North Carolina Press, 2004. Print. Siddiqui, Mona. How to Read the Quran. London: Granta Books, 2007. Print. The Qur’an. Trans. Tarif Khalidi. New York: Penguin Group, 2009. Print. Read More