Calligraphy
The range of styles in Islamic art is as wide and vast as the lands in which Islam spread . But one of the unifying features is calligraphy , usually in Arabic text .
The art of calligraphy wasn ’ t confined to just books , but was a focal point across various works of architecture and other decorative arts . Even in the modern world , intricately designed calligraphy can be found both inside and outside of mosques across the globe .
The most important example of calligraphy within the realm of Islamic art can be found in the Holy Quran , which is the central religious text for Muslims . There are a number of different types of scripts and fonts used when handwriting the Quran , the first of which was known as Kufic . Key characteristics of this font include an angular form , which stretched horizontally .
In Arabic , text is read from right to left , and only the consonants are written , with dots and lines above and below the letters signifying the vowels . Over time , and through different editions of scriptures , the way vowels are represented has varied . The pictured example ( below ) of an early Kufic page uses red dots for the vowels .
After the Mongol conquest of Iran in the 1250s , larger and fancier copies of the Quran were produced , often split so that each of the 30 chapters of the book were bound separately . The V & A has one of these copies on display ( next column ), showing a page from part 21 in a script called Muhaqqaq . It ’ s more cursive in appearance , and has a different presentation of the vowels than the Kufic font .
Not only are the verses of the Quran themselves treated as an artform , in some instances the entire page would be adorned with colourful geometric patterns to enhance the scriptures themselves , making sure to not detract from the words . The opposite page shows a couple of examples from within the V & A archives , showing some excerpts from late 15th century Egypt .
Ceramics
Another key medium within Islamic art is ceramics . This covers both pottery and the decorative tiles created for buildings , streets , and palaces . As mentioned before , Islamic religious art doesn ’ t feature people or animals , so ceramics often relied on the colour , patterns , and inscriptions within them instead .
The museum houses a range of ceramics from across the Islamic Middle East . One of my favourites is this collection of tiles which form a tessellating pattern ( one which can repeat infinitely ), and is made up of alternating crosses and eight-pointed stars . They come from 13th Century Iran , from the tomb of a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad .
When inspected closely , each tile is unique in design , but tied together by the warm hues and botanically inspired designs on each of them . The outer border of each of the tiles has excerpts from the Quran finely painted on , too . It demonstrates the thought and care given to each individual tile , making up a larger piece .
Other examples of ceramics feature calligraphy as the main focal point , such as this tile fragment ( opposite ) taken from a doorway leading to the tomb of one of the descendants of Genghis Khan , the infamous Mongol conqueror . Buyanquli Khan has a mausoleum built for him in Uzbekistan , which was adorned in similarly vibrant blue tiles both inside and out .
Western Recognition
It took a long while since its birth for Islamic art to make it into mainstream Western culture . In fact , the study of it didn ’ t really begin to take off until the 19th century , despite hundreds of years of depth and history .
One of the pioneers of the study of Islamic art , purely as an artform , above its cultural foundations , was architect and designer Owen Jones ( 1807 – 1874 ). Jones was enthralled by the idea of a range of colours being used in architecture , known as architectural polychromy , and at the age of 23 embarked on his Grand Tour ( a journey usually taken by young , high status men ) which ended in Granada , Spain .
Here , he carried out a six-month study of the Alhambra Palace , in which he and his research partner , Jules Goury , created hundreds of drawings and plaster casts to document the incredible artistic behemoth . While Goury sadly passed of cholera on this trip , Jones was determined to bring his findings back to the British public .
Jones went on to take inspiration from the vibrant colours and geometric tiles to create a temporary ‘ Crystal Palace ’ in Hyde Park , which was inaugurated by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert . He also published The Grammar of Ornament , which summarised his theories of design from various cultures and periods . It ’ s still in print today , over 150 years later , and much of the original artwork can be found at the V & A .
Unfortunately , not all depictions of the East were seen with the same adoration as Jones had . British colonialism , which had spread over the Middle East , North Africa , and Southeast Asia for a number of centuries , viewed these cultures through an Orientalist lens .
Orientalism , coined by the founder of postcolonial studies Edward Said , is the concept of Western media and literature presenting other cultures as somehow inferior , yet exotic . Sometimes , depictions of the East suggested they were barbaric and backward , while other times they were seen as overly romanticised civilisations . When it comes to Islamic art , the idea of Orientalism helps to navigate the line between Western creatives appreciating the artform , and appropriating it . While this is arguably still something designers struggle to balance in the 21st century , our globalised and inter-connected world provides endless
Images : Kafi Zafar
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