How to Read Islamic Calligraphy

Author: Maryam D. Ekhtiar
Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art
ISBN: 1588396304
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 159

Book Description
"For centuries, Islamic calligraphy has mesmerized viewers with its beauty, sophistication, and seemingly endless variety of styles. How to Read Islamic Calligraphy offers new perspectives on this distinctive art form, using examples from The Met's superlative collections to explore the enduring preeminence of the written word as a means of creative expression throughout the Islamic world. Combining engaging, accessible texts with stunning new photography, How to Read Islamic Calligraphy introduces readers to the major Islamic script types and explains the various contexts, whether secular or sacred, in which each one came to be used. Beauty and brilliance emerge in equal measure from works of every medium, from lavishly illuminated Qur'an manuscripts, to glassware etched with poetic verses, to ceramic tiles brushed with benedictions. The sheer breadth of objects illustrated in these pages exemplifies the ubiquity of calligraphy, and provides a compelling introduction to this unique art form"--Publisher's description

The Rise of Islamic Calligraphy

Author: Alain George
Publisher: Saqi Books
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Book Description
Beautifully illustrated, this is an essential reference work for students and connoisseurs of calligraphy alike.

Traces of the Calligrapher

Author: Mary McWilliams
Publisher: Museum Fine Arts Houston
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 110

Book Description
"Traces of the Calligrapher" reconstructs the intimate world of the calligrapher during the early modern period of Islamic culture, bringing together the "tools of the trade" - works in their own right that are rarely exhibited or published - and the exquisite art made with these functional objects in India, Iran, and Turkey. Drawn primarily from a prestigious private collection in Houston, the works in this fascinating book include pens, pen boxes, chests, tables, paper scissors, knives, burnishers, and book bindings of superb manufacture and design. These objects are presented with examples of calligraphy that were executed as practice exercises, occasional works, wall hangings, and manuscripts. Seen together, these rare works reveal the traces of their makers."-- Cover.

Islamic Calligraphy

Author: Blair Sheila Blair
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
ISBN: 1474464475
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 736

Book Description
Joint Winner of the 2007 British-Kuwait Friendship Society Prize for Middle Eastern StudiesThis stunning book is an important contribution to a key area of non-western art, being the first reference work on the art of beautiful writing in Arabic script.The extensive use of writing is a hallmark of Islamic civilization. Calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing, became one of the main methods of artistic expression from the seventh century to the present in almost all regions from the far Maghrib, or Islamic West, to India and beyond. Arabic script was adopted for other languages from Persian and Turkish to Kanembu and Malay. Sheila S. Blair's groundbreaking book explains this art form to modern readers and shows them how to identify, understand and appreciate its varied styles and modes. The book is designed to offer a standardized terminology for identifying and describing various styles of Islamic calligraphy and to help Westerners appreciate why calligraphy has long been so important in Islamic civilization.The argument is enhanced by the inclusion of more than 150 colour illustrations, as well as over a hundred black-and-white details that highlight the salient features of the individual scripts and hands. Examples are chosen from dated or datable examples with secure provenance, for the problem of forgeries and copies (both medieval and modern) is rampant. The illustrations are accompanied by detailed analyses telling the reader what to look for in determining both style and quality of script.This beautiful new book is an ideal reference for anyone with an interest in Islamic art.Key Features* Written by the world's leading expert on Islamic calligraphy* Includes c.150 colour illustrations* Comprehensive: covers the art of calligraphy throughout Islamic civilisation, from the 7thc. to the present* The first volume to explain this art form to modern readers, guiding them in the identification, understanding and appreciation of its varied style

A Handbook of Early Arabic Kufic Script

Author: S. M. V. Mousavi Jazayeri
Publisher: Blautopf Publishing
ISBN: 099817274X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Book Description
A comprehensive textbook of the early Arabic Kufic script, written as a complete reference book for calligraphers, designers, and students of art history and the history of Arabic language and scripts. This beautiful and powerful script was derived from the earlier Hijazi Mashq style of Mecca and Medina, which was invented by early Muslim scribes to record the Quran. Today, the many historical manuscripts displayed in numerous museums around the world can attest to development and evolution of this remarkable and versatile script. Authored by master calligrapher, Mousavi Jazayeri, this book is the only book written in English that is solely dedicated to the study, learning and revival of the fascinating script behind the first mature Arabic calligraphic style, which was the official script of the Islamic Near East for centuries, before being replaced by the modern Naskh style. In this handbook, Mousavi Jazayeri who had discovered the lost art of cutting the qalam (pen) for early Kufic more than twenty years ago, explains with detailed, clear illustrations how to write early Kufic using a calligraphic pen and even a regular pen. He guides students patiently through the process involved in creating amazing, modern monograms. With clear, ample examples taken from the old Quranic manuscripts, art history students, font designers, and scholars of the history of the Arabic language and scripts can use this reference book to learn the key aspects of the early Kufic script as a writing system. Mr. Mousavi Jazayeri is joined by two co-authors, Perette E. Michelli, a multi-disciplinary historian of medieval and later art, and Saad D. Abulhab, a known Arabic type designer and independent scholar of the history of Arabic language and scripts. The two co-authors are members of the first international group dedicated to the study and revival of the early Kufic script, Kuficpedia, which was formed a few years ago around the historical achievements of Mr. Mousavi.

Ink and Gold

Author: Marcus Fraser
Publisher: Paul Holberton Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Book Description
Ink and Gold charts the development of Islamic calligraphy over a thousand years, from its beginnings in the Arabian Peninsula. Given the status of the Qur'an as the word of Allah and ambivalence towards representation of living things, the art of the pen became the focus of an extraordinary energy. The essays in this volume cover all the major centers of Islamic calligraphy, from North Africa to Central Asia, highlighting the achievements of Islamic calligraphers in the ages of the 'Abbasid (749-258), Seljuk (1055-1243), Ilkhanid (1256-1357), Safavid (1502-1736), and Mughal Empires (1526-1857). Though pride of place is given to the Qur'an, calligraphy is also examined in mystical and scientific works, Persian poetry, and calligraphy albums.

Islamic Calligraphy Coloring Book

Author: A. Z. Desiger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 52

Book Description
A fantastically fun book for those who love classic Arabic calligraphy, This islamic coloring book contains 50 designs to colour in and enjoy, with each design made up of Arabic lettering surrounded by beautiful Islamic themed and old-school wild-style, graffiti art flavors. In expressing art there is no right way or wrong. Everything that you deem beautiful is art. Art is soul-food. This colouring book is another step to reach out to those who have a yearning to combine innate artistic talents with the spiritual.This book combines both art-forms with style, funk, flow and finesse. Kick your feet, up relax and unwind with this fun stress-relieving book today!

Muthanna / Mirror Writing in Islamic Calligraphy

Author: Esra Akin-Kivanc
Publisher:
ISBN: 0253049237
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 350

Book Description
Muthanna, also known as mirror writing, is a compelling style of Islamic calligraphy composed of a source text and its mirrored image placed symmetrically on a horizontal or vertical axis. This style elaborates on various scripts such as Kufi, naskh, and muqahhaq through compositional arrangements, including doubling, superimposing, and stacking. Muthanna is found in diverse media, ranging from architecture, textiles, and tiles to paper, metalwork, and woodwork. Yet despite its centuries-old history and popularity in countries from Iran to Spain, scholarship on the form has remained limited and flawed. Muthanna/Mirror Writing in Islamic Calligraphy provides a comprehensive study of the text and its forms, beginning with an explanation of the visual principles and techniques used in its creation. Author Esra Akın-Kıvanç explores muthanna's relationship to similar forms of writing in Judaic and Christian contexts, as well as the specifically Islamic contexts within which symmetrically mirrored compositions reached full fruition, were assigned new meanings, and transformed into more complex visual forms. Throughout, Akın-Kıvanç imaginatively plays on the implicit relationship between subject and object in muthanna by examining the point of view of the artist, the viewer, and the work of art. In doing so, this study elaborates on the vital links between outward form and inner meaning in Islamic calligraphy.

How to Read Islamic Carpets

Author: Walter B. Denny
Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art
ISBN: 030020809X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Book Description
The engaging and accessible volume offers invaluable insights and novel perspectives on what is perhaps the most iconic of all Islamic art forms: the handwoven carpet. With a history stretching back to the fourteenth century and a geographic reach spanning Europe to Eurasia, Mongolia to the Middle East, Islamic carpets boast a degree of innovation and technical skill to rival the world's most exalted works of art. Beauty and brilliance emerge in equal measure from carpets of all forms be they colossal silk rugs exchanged as gifts by sultans and kings or small and sturdy textiles woven for use in nomadic encampments. Some sixty superlatives examples from the Metropolitan Museum's collection—from Persia, India, Turkey, North Africa, and across the Islamic world—are presented here in lavish detail, with concise and approachable texts that position each work in historical and cultural context. Beginning with a discussion of materials and techniques, How to Read Islamic Carpets offers a comprehensive introduction to this captivating art form, and reveals the lasting influence of carpet-weaving traditions in lands far beyond the Islamic world.

Sacred Script

Author: Nassar Mansour
Publisher: I.B. Tauris
ISBN: 9781848854390
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Arabic calligraphy is at once an expression of piety, aesthetic sensibility and artistic discipline. 'Muhaqqaq' was an early term which captured care, clarity and meticulousness in calligraphy. It was associated with the making of manuscripts of the Qur'an - a sacred task and one which helped to give the new Islamic order both identity and coherence. 'Muhaqqaq' energed in the eleventh century as the name for one of six classical scripts. This is the first book devoted entirely to 'muhaqqaq' tradition. Nassar Mansour, himself a highly respected calligrapher, here traces the development of 'muhaqqaq'. His book also presents examples of his own work in muhaqqaq whish demonstrate the enduring value of this script for today. This is an invaluable and beautifully executed reference work on Islamic calligraphy, which will attract art historians and practitioners alike.