Resource: Islamic Art
Media Type:
QuickTime Video
Length: 2m 10s
Size: 5.9 MB
The Islamic Empire once stretched from the Atlantic Ocean in the West, to India and the borders of China in the East. Over many centuries, the artistic traditions of these different regions merged into an identifiably Islamic style. The traveling exhibition "Palace and Mosque" from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum features a world-renowned Islamic art collection. In this video from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, a guided tour of the exhibition by Tim Stanley, senior curator for the Middle East at the Victoria and Albert Museum, provides a historical perspective and cultural context for understanding Islam through religious art.
Loading reviews...Teachers' Domain, Islamic Art, published August 21, 2008, retrieved on ,
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/islam08.socst.world.glob.islamicart/
- Background Essay
- Questions for Discussion
- Standards
Print Background EssayIslamic art can be described as art created in the service of Islam or art made under Islamic rule or influence. The common elements that distinguish Islamic art are calligraphy, arabesques, scrollwork, and floral and geometrical designs. Figural imagery in a religious context is not used in Islamic art as Muslims fear that the use of figures may lead to idolatry, which is explicitly forbidden in the Qur’an, the divinely revealed holy book of Islam. Muslims also believe that God is unique and without associate and therefore cannot be represented.
The most prevalent feature in Islamic art is calligraphy. In Islam, the glorification of God’s word has always been considered the noblest form of art. Muslim calligraphers have expressed their faith and love for God with beautifully written verses of the Qur’an, often accompanied by arabesques, designs in which plants grow according to the laws of geometry rather than nature. This form of ornate writing extends itself to other non-religious arts, such as secular manuscripts, building inscriptions, textiles, ceramics, glass, and woodwork.
Islamic art, as mentioned, commonly features complex geometric designs. Artists often create intricate geometrical patterns that express the Islamic principles of unity, logic and order. The impression of unending repetition is believed by some to be an expression of the infinite nature of God. Muslim designers and artists have used these motifs as a decorative element on all types of surfaces.
Not all Islamic art is religious. Secular Islamic art was produced by Muslims and non-Muslims alike in a time and place where Islamic culture played a dominant or influential role. Objects such as ceramics, textiles or carpets can be found decorated with human and animal imagery. Artists created canvases out of objects of daily use, such as bowls, carpets and cushions, turning them into pieces of craftsmanship and beauty.
We assign reference terms to each statement within a standards document and to each media resource, and correlations are based upon matches of these terms for a given grade band. If a particular standards document of interest to you is not displayed yet, it most likely has not yet been processed by ASN or by Teachers' Domain. We will be adding social studies and arts correlations over the coming year, and also will be increasing the specificity of alignment.Source: Religion & Ethics Newsweekly:"Art Feature: Islamic Art"
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